College emotion vs professional devotion

[Hitler Cubano 0]

How are you able to form a better attachment to the players when the vast majority of them now rarely stay in even for just the four years that they're eligible? I started watching the Blazers around when Roy/Aldridge were drafted and I'm happy to still be following them on my team a couple years later in the NBA, and they'll hopefully stick around for much, much longer. Vince Carter's been playing for the Nets since 04.. Well not a great example, but then there's Jason Kidd who was on the team for 6 years and brought two Finals appearances.

 

Even with players moving around and treating teams like temp jobs rather than a place they can make a career at, that's still more respectable than college players who leave that entire spectacle behind in one or two years... and then the ones who stick around are the ones who can't make it at a professional level and why would you want to watch that?

 

At least with college football, a player definitely needs to four years for their body to grow into NFL quality shape and size, and it takes a tremendous amount of learning at their position to necessitate being in until they're juniors or seniors, so the college football game is really exciting- hell, with a playoff, it easily rivals the NFL since a lot of those players are close to or are NFL ready in their current state, the rules are different, and it's just a really fun game, usually with a lot of offense and crazy shit happening. College basketball games are like half as much scoring as the NBA, turnover crazy, and just generally really sloppy overall. I'm pretty glad I only watch for like a month and that's it because I can't stand it otherwise, and I still just don't see how people can get into it year-round, especially for schools which they have no personal affiliation with.

[bob_barron 0]

How are you able to form a better attachment to the players when the vast majority of them now rarely stay in even for just the four years that they're eligible?

 

Because they picked Memphis as the school they wanted to play for, and it's easier, for me, to root for them. The whole everyone leaves early thing is kind of overblown. At most it's 1-2 kids per team a year, and that's only on the elite teams.

 

Also, quote two is simply not true. Memphis lost two underclassman last year, but CDR left as a junior. Since the Tigers became dominant, they've had only four players leave as underclassman and one, Darius Washington, kind of sucked.

 

Calipari graduates a majority of his players on time. This year, three players are graduating, and they've won more games than anyone else in college history.

 

I can't really talk about other schools, I only know the ins and outs of, and care about, Memphis.

 

that's still more respectable than college players who leave that entire spectacle behind in one or two years...

 

I disagree. Coach Cal has always encouraged his players to go to the NBA if they could be a first round pick. I'm for it too. If you can go and get the guaranteed contract, there's really no reason to stick around.

 

and then the ones who stick around are the ones who can't make it at a professional level and why would you want to watch that?

 

Because I don't care about professional basketball and a person's ability to play professional basketball while I watch a college game. Antonio Anderson has been tremendous for the Tigers in his four years here, I don't really care that he's not going to the NBA. As long as he helps Memphis.

 

College basketball games are like half as much scoring as the NBA, turnover crazy, and just generally really sloppy overall. I'm pretty glad I only watch for like a month and that's it because I can't stand it otherwise, and I still just don't see how people can get into it year-round, especially for schools which they have no personal affiliation with.

 

A majority of Memphis games I just sit in front of my computer and get updates every :30 seconds from Yahoo!. As I said before, I like that the game is more wide open, and it's easier for me to get into a game and form an emotional attachment to the game. The sloppyness makes it more exciting.

[Kinetic 0]

I've tried with college basketball (and collegiate sports, in general, but more so with basketball) and I can't do it. The play is inferior, the amount of hype during the season is overbearing, the atmosphere and branding is superficial and manufactured, and it means supporting the NCAA, which I don't want to do. I just don't get it. If you went to the school, or really, really have no other options, fine, but why should I care. It's a farce.

 

I would have to disagree with the bolded portion pretty vehemently. If there's one thing that college sports has over pro sports, it's atmosphere. There aren't a lot of pro venues that can match the intensity and--here's that word again--passion that you get at a big-time collegiate game. You don't find the atmosphere and branding at an NBA game to be a trifle manufactured? Dunking gorillas and "Gonna Make You Sweat" and Stephen A. Smith and shit. C'mon man.

 

I've always found the whole "the level of play is higher" argument to be similar to the argument that Yngwie Malmsteen is better than, like, the Replacements because he can play a million notes in one song. Yeah, he's obviously more talented, but there's something sort of mechanical there that just leaves me cold. And I do enjoy the NBA, but I don't think anyone would deny that there's a certain level of going through the motions that occurs in the regular season, particularly with teams that are more or less assured of a playoff spot. College players play hard (and not in the Dotel sense) every game. It doesn't bother me that they're less talented. I appreciate the effort.

[Agent of Oblivion 0]

It's an 82 game season in the NBA. Anyone decrying the effort level day in and day out in the NBA needs to consider the logistics of a season that long. The NCAA men's season is what, 30 games? I'd argue NBA players go balls out more than 30 times per season. Hell, the NBA playoffs can be almost as long as the entire college season and March Madness put together.

 

It's as dumb as football fans bitching about baseball players and their wimpy injuries. "A sore shoulder?? OH NO!" Well, that guy also plays ten times as many games as an NFL player. It evens out.

 

 

[Kinetic 0]

Well, I would argue that (probably) the NBA season and (certainly) the MLB season are too long. As Czech mentioned earlier, we knew exactly which 4-5 teams actually had a chance of winning the NBA title before the All-Star break this year. The entire second half of the season is basically the top teams fighting for seeding. I can understand it from a financial standpoint, but from a competitive sense and really just from an entertainment standpoint the whole thing really isn't that interesting and it just goes on forever. The NBA feels like NASCAR to me, in that the next season seemingly starts as soon as the previous one ends.

 

In any event, the relative brevity of the college season contributes to the excitement for me, because the stakes are so much higher every game. This is particularly true in football, where every big game has a life-or-death sort of atmosphere.

[tonyjaymzretro 0]

I think sometimes it has to do with location also. There aren't any NBA teams near me that I would want to cheer for....you've got the Wizards and the 76ers, and there is no way I can cheer for a DC or Philly team. On the flipside, I can goto a Maryland or Towson game easily, and cheaper, so i tend to stick to the college game more.

 

The NBA playoff system needs retooling, IMO. They need to cut down on how many teams actually make the playoffs.

[Kinetic 0]

Amen to that. 16 of 30 teams qualifying makes getting to the playoffs in the NBA easier than qualifying for a bowl game in college football.

[Hitler Cubano 0]

The solution to that would be seeding the top five teams from both conferences in one playoff, not two separate conference championships. I hate seeing teams with losing records make it to the Eastern Conference playoffs year after year.

[Nightwing 0]

I think sometimes it has to do with location also. There aren't any NBA teams near me that I would want to cheer for....you've got the Wizards and the 76ers, and there is no way I can cheer for a DC or Philly team. On the flipside, I can goto a Maryland or Towson game easily, and cheaper, so i tend to stick to the college game more.

 

The NBA playoff system needs retooling, IMO. They need to cut down on how many teams actually make the playoffs.

 

Adapt the football playoff system: Top two division winners get byes in each conference. That way you only get 12 teams and eliminate the old "1 stomps 8" seed that is common in the NBA. Plus, it gives a good reward for the top two seeds.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I think sometimes it has to do with location also. There aren't any NBA teams near me that I would want to cheer for....you've got the Wizards and the 76ers, and there is no way I can cheer for a DC or Philly team. On the flipside, I can goto a Maryland or Towson game easily, and cheaper, so i tend to stick to the college game more.

 

The NBA playoff system needs retooling, IMO. They need to cut down on how many teams actually make the playoffs.

 

Adapt the football playoff system: Top two division winners get byes in each conference. That way you only get 12 teams and eliminate the old "1 stomps 8" seed that is common in the NBA. Plus, it gives a good reward for the top two seeds.

This is a good idea. The only problem is that the top team then loses (at least) two extremely profitable home games.

[Nightwing 0]

I think sometimes it has to do with location also. There aren't any NBA teams near me that I would want to cheer for....you've got the Wizards and the 76ers, and there is no way I can cheer for a DC or Philly team. On the flipside, I can goto a Maryland or Towson game easily, and cheaper, so i tend to stick to the college game more.

 

The NBA playoff system needs retooling, IMO. They need to cut down on how many teams actually make the playoffs.

 

Adapt the football playoff system: Top two division winners get byes in each conference. That way you only get 12 teams and eliminate the old "1 stomps 8" seed that is common in the NBA. Plus, it gives a good reward for the top two seeds.

This is a good idea. The only problem is that the top team then loses (at least) two extremely profitable home games.

 

True. I suppose you could add a "Winner's Pot" for the top 4 teams, giving them each a "Winner's Bonus" or something. Of course, you'd also be losing a lot of T.V. revenue, too, because you are playing fewer games. But this is more what we as fans would like to see, so I'm ignoring the financial implications on the NBA here.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Oh. and about that whole "90's argument" about pros not caring.......... 2 words..... Stephon Marbury

[bobobrazil1984 0]

There are a ton of not-so-exciting college games which people never see.

 

The talent level is just inferior. it reminds me of WNBA actually. WNBA with better crowds. Seriously how many times have I seen college players who can't make open layups constantly or do the most basic thing.

 

College can provide better atmosphere at times, but if you actually like the sport of basketball, i'll go with the better basketball.

[bob_barron 0]

Oh. and about that whole "90's argument" about pros not caring.......... 2 words..... Stephon Marbury

 

Doesn't prove your point at all. College basketball players sleepwalk through tons of games too. Look at Memphis in the last couple weeks of the C-USA season.

[sfaJack 0]

And even if it helped his argument, you're still talking about one guy out of a league of 450 or so. Not exactly statistically relevant.

[The Niggardly King 0]

I remember chatting with EHME and trying to watch college basketball this year for the first time since I was 12 or 13.

 

In my five minutes of watching I witnessed the greatness of

 

One white guy thinking he was Steve Nash and running into his big lug of a white center who was setting a pick. Then the same point guard turned the ball over two times with terrible bounce passes, and then he proceeded to jack up three horrible three point shots. The other team then proceeded to pass the ball around on the other side of the court far too long and usually ended up taking bad mid-range jumpers within the last 8 seconds of the shot clock. It was 7-2 when I finally decided why I quit watching the shit. I don't think I could even watch the shit if I was super high and trying to use it as comedy.

[Czech please! 0]

I wonder if Cowboy Numbers leaned back in his swivel chair and crossed his arms after that Marbury post. Also, I could've sworn he was a Gators fan, but there are like nine or ten vocal Gators fans on this board and it's possible I'm confused.

[snuffbox 0]

Do the NBA Playoffs still run for a couple months with the opposing teams trading off 20-point blowouts for 7 games?

[Agent of Oblivion 0]

I wonder if Cowboy Numbers leaned back in his swivel chair and crossed his arms after that Marbury post. Also, I could've sworn he was a Gators fan, but there are like nine or ten vocal Gators fans on this board and it's possible I'm confused.

 

From what I've gathered, Cowboy Numbers is Matt Youngin' it in terms of his sports fandom:

 

1. NFL: Cowboys

2. NCAA Football: Florida

3. NCAA Basketball: Duke

 

For context, he lives about 90 minutes from me.

[snuffbox 0]

"I started liking em when they werent good!"

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

I wonder if Cowboy Numbers leaned back in his swivel chair and crossed his arms after that Marbury post. Also, I could've sworn he was a Gators fan, but there are like nine or ten vocal Gators fans on this board and it's possible I'm confused.

 

From what I've gathered, Cowboy Numbers is Matt Youngin' it in terms of his sports fandom:

 

1. NFL: Cowboys

2. NCAA Football: Florida

3. NCAA Basketball: Duke

 

For context, he lives about 90 minutes from me.

 

 

This man knows what he's talking about.

[bob_barron 0]

Wow, Cowboy Numbers is terrible.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Wow, Cowboy Numbers is terrible.

 

 

This troll does NOT know what he's talking about.

[bob_barron 0]

I'm not posting to get a reaction, I'm posting the truth. Florida and Duke? Come on.

 

Unless you have family connections to both schools, that might be ok

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Considering you're a memphis, knicks, etc fan... You should really shut the fuck up.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

For some reason I was under the impression that Cowboy#s was black. The Duke fandom would seem to disprove that notion.

[bob_barron 0]

Considering you're a memphis, knicks, etc fan... You should really shut the fuck up.

 

You should really shut the fuck up as I am most definitely not a Knicks fan. I mean, that's insulting!

[snuffbox 0]

Come on, Bob. You know damn well that Indiana University isn't on ESPN very much. Who is he supposed to be a fan of if not the teams that win every year? With the M.Y./C-#s technique, you can just change your favorites when a new recruiting class comes in and new perennial champions are crowned!

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Come on, Bob. You know damn well that Indiana University isn't on ESPN very much. Who is he supposed to be a fan of if not the teams that win every year? With the M.Y./C-#s technique, you can just change your favorites when a new recruiting class comes in and new perennial champions are crowned!

 

 

 

Fuck iu. My family is a Purdue family. Also, what you're saying would mean I change teams every 4 years at max. I've been a Duke fan for over 13 years, a Florida fan for over 15 years, and a Cowboys fan my whole life. So you alllllllll can suck a dick.

[snuffbox 0]

Hey, if picking whatever team happens to be popular/winning keeps you happy, that's cool!