Focus of NCAA story was all about money

Simultaneously disturbing and telling is how I found “Big Dance may get bigger” in the Dec. 14 edition of the
IBJ.

The repeated theme throughout the article is money and how to get more of it, particularly through
the sale of broadcast rights to an expanded basketball tournament. The sole mention of any possible deleterious effect upon
the students was by Purdue University’s athletic director, whom I applaud for his student-oriented view. It wasn’t
that long ago when March Madness, rather than being a registered trademark of the NCAA, meant that time of year when fans
of all ilk watched their favorite high school and college teams earn their way into an elite post-season
tournament.

We have forgotten that these young men and women are students first, attending college to obtain
a degree and, hopefully, an education along the way. It is the well-being of the student-athlete and the needs of their instructors
to maintain continuity in their classrooms that should take precedence in this debate, without regard to the financial impact
upon the NCAA or the member schools.

___________

Doug Lippert