March Madness

The media is having a field day with the NCAA right now. Especially with the men’s basketball tournament going on, the NCAA is getting a lot of attention. Beside that, the women’s and other divisions’ basketball tournaments have been getting a lot of attention. March Madness goes beyond the men’s basketball tournament, and that has been especially clear this season through the lack of upsets in the men’s tournament and the surprising victories in other tournaments.

Duke’s women’s basketball team was heavily favored to win the tournament. In a sweet sixteen game against a fourth-seeded Rutgers University team, which Duke beat by 40 points earlier in the season at Rutgers, Duke lost by one point. Perhaps the most thrilling game so far this month was the Division II championship game in which Barton beat Winona. Anthony Atkinson, a Barton player, scored 10 points in the last 39 seconds of the game to seal the victory.

But the Final Four of the Division I men’s basketball tournament is what is on every basketball fan’s mind now. The field has been narrowed from 65 teams to four teams: UCLA, Ohio State, Florida and Georgetown. UCLA is hungry for a rematch against Florida after losing to them in last year’s championship game, so it should be an interesting game. A lot of publicity will follow this game because it is such a highly anticipated rematch. The Florida Gators will especially get a lot of media attention in the coming days not only because they are the defending national champions, but because any game they play in the rest of this tournament would be either a rematch from this season or a rematch from last year’s tournament.

The last time the Gators played each of these teams, the Gators came out on top. Each team will get a lot of publicity and the athletic programs will benefit greatly. The tournament style of the championship keeps spectators hooked on games and anticipating each game more than the last. The plan is simply genius. All 65 teams involved in the tournament get attention, and each round the remaining teams get more attention. All the added publicity helps generate support and exposure for the team. From a public relations perspective, the tournament is awesome.

Let’s go Gators! (and let's go Lady Knights! Jersey pride baby!)

Is the MIAA simply MIA?

You hear about Duke and North Carolina (and Tyler Hansbrough’s bloody nose). You hear about Kentucky and Louisville. You hear about Arizona and UCLA. You hear about Indiana and Purdue. You hear about the Big Five from Philadelphia. But what about Hope and Calvin?

Most college-basketball spectators have a tendency to focus on Division I and forget about Divisions II and III. Division I basketball, especially men’s, gets a lot more media coverage than the other divisions’ basketball. Particularly when it comes to rivalries, spectators seem to forget about the other divisions. In the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, or the MIAA, Calvin College and Hope College have a traditional rivalry. Both Hope and Calvin take great pride in this rivalry and use the small amount of media coverage they get to stress the importance of community to their colleges.

In November of 2005, ESPN named the Calvin and Hope rivalry the fourth greatest college basketball rivalry across all divisions. In April 2005, ESPN’s Web site featured a poll to find out what fans consider the fiercest rivalry in college basketball. Out of the ten rivalries listed, that of Calvin and Hope is the only rivalry outside of Division I. This year, each team beat the other on the other’s home floor.

Even though ESPN does acknowledge the rivalry, the game was not broadcast on ESPN. Most Division III players are not as concerned with professional athletic careers as Division I players. But does this mean Division III games are less exciting? Should we pay them any less attention than Division I games? It strikes me as strange that ESPN would acknowledge the intensity of a rivalry and not even cover the game.

From a public relations perspective, it would be a good strategy for the NCAA to promote awareness of Divisions II and III. Division I attracts so much attention that Divisions II and III are often forgotten, but if the NCAA wants to maximize its publicity, the other divisions need more media coverage. I don’t think all three divisions should get the same amount of attention, but if a game such as this rivalry is being acknowledged by ESPN, known for being the worldwide leader in sports, it is worthwhile to invest more interest and attention in some Division III games.