By Matthew Kwitowski, Sports Department Member
As this year’s March Madness tournament starts to wind down, it feels as if something is missing from the tournament. There has been a major lack of upsets and “Cinderella teams”, that tend to make the tournament so special.
In the women’s tournament, there is no seed lower than a No. 5 seed in the Sweet Sixteen, and in the men’s tournament, the Sweet 16 exclusively has teams from major conferences for the first time since the round began in 1975.
So, what is the reason for the lack of upsets this year? The main suspect is NIL deals.
NIL, name, image, likeness, allows college athletes to profit from their commercial activities and endorsements. This was strictly prohibited in the NCAA until 2021. Fast forward back to today, and NIL has gotten completely out of control.
Bigger schools such as Duke and Alabama, offer multi-million dollar deals to attract top talent in the transfer portal and even incoming freshman prospects. Smaller Schools can’t keep up with these kinds of deals, and as a result, there is a huge difference in talent between major conference teams and mid-major teams.
After their First Four loss to Alabama State at the beginning of the tournament, St Francis announced they would be dropping out of Division 1 and moving to Division 3. Chairman and team chaplain, Joseph Lehman stated, “The governance associated with intercollegiate athletics has always been complicated and is only growing in complexity based on realities like the transfer portal, pay-for-play, and other shifts that move athletics away from love of the game”.
NIL is such a mess that mid-major schools are being forced to leave Division 1 athletics.
What once was a tournament that put smaller schools on the radar is now becoming an upset empty, major conference showcase. Even though it’s exciting to watch the best-on-best games, it’s taking away the magic and madness we’ve all come to love with March Madness and the beloved “Cinderellas”.
Since the tournament was created, the most iconic part is the underdogs, and the most memorable moments from the tournament come from the smaller schools. Everyone remembers Loyola University Chicago’s Final Four run in 2018, George Mason University’s Final Four run in 2006, and Doug Edert’s Saint Peter’s University Peacocks making the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 15 seed. These moments are talked about every single year the tournament comes around.
Winning these games is such a big deal for these schools. It doesn’t only help the school’s athletic programs but even helps the academic programs. Florida Gulf Coast University saw a 35% increase the year after its Sweet 16 run and now has students from 33 countries and 32 states.
Without the “Cinderellas”, March Madness would be just like any other championship tournament. The magic of March Madness is what sets it apart from any other championship and people tune in to watch the magic. However, with the arrival of NIL, that magic might be slipping away.
(Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics)
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