College Basketball > Professional Basketball

With the Final Four approaching, my inaugural post will be on, of course, college basketball.  Specifically, I propose to defend the position that college basketball is better than professional basketball.  It's a conversation Joy, Matt, and I have had, but since I don't think it's been given the time it deserves, and that's what this blog is for, here goes.  To preface my comments, I will acknowledge my views are probably fairly myopic, considering my personal affiliations.  

Fans

There are indeed lifelong fans of professional franchises.  I can think of many fans who stick with the Mets, the Cubs, the Redskins, and all of Philadelphia athletics through thick and thin (mostly thin).  In fact, these teams may have some of the most loyal fans of all.  But I also think the era of lifelong commitment to a professional team fading, as relatively new sports fans tend to follow particular athletes as they are traded from one team to the next.  

I can't say this is a phenomenon I've experienced in the world of college basketball.  "Nobody ever gets over being a Tar Heel."  These were the words of Bill Currie, a former UNC sportscaster.  And I think it's quite right.  Of course, D-I athletes in particular don't transfer often, but when they do, the best scenario for that athlete is the school's fans wish him the best of luck.  This was the farewell Alex Stepheson got when he left for UCLA last year.  As far as athletes who leave school early to play in the NBA...well, let's just say that I don't know anyone who dropped being a Tar Heel fan to become a Bulls or a Bobcats fan instead.  

College basketball is intertwined with my best memories and experiences in undergrad.  To have felt such oneness with my peers over joyous occasions (rather than the tragedies which also tend to unite) is something that simply does not exist as an NBA fan.  

Continuity

You might ask, "What continuity?" with college players regularly declaring for the draft after one, two, or three years at school.  There are a handful of consistently good franchises in professional basketball (the Lakers come to mind).  But then I must refer you to the Cleveland Cavaliers pre-Le Bron James compared to the present.  James makes that team, and upon his departure, it won't be long before no one outside out that lovely mistake on a lake will remember the team exists.  On the other hand, a Cinderella team in college basketball can become a powerhouse in as little as ten years -- without one or two players, or even an entire class of players -- making or breaking them (see: Gonzaga).  

I can also sympathize with the financial decision many college athletes make in deciding to go pro.  Almost all of them are on scholarship because they need it to attend college of any kind.  For many of them, basketball is their ticket out of whatever lives they once struggled through -- for themselves and their families.  This says nothing of the sacrifice their families made to schedule around work to attend games, pay for basketball camp, and the other luxuries needed to become a high-performing athlete.  There are, sadly, very few Tyler Hansbroughs in the world of college basketball, with well-off orthopedic surgeons for fathers.   

On the other hand, professional players financially motivated to switch teams garner much less of my sympathy.  The 2009-2010 minimum salary for a rookie is $442,114.00 (the President of the United States, perks aside, earns $400,000.00).  While I'm certain it'd be nice to earn twice as much playing for another team, at that point, it just becomes plain impolite to ditch your fans and teammates.  Oh, and as an aside, doesn't the notion of "team" and "franchise" being interchangeable terms make you a little bit squeamish about the whole thing?

Student-Athletes

You might laugh at this one.  Communications, Sociology, and Exercise and Sports Science are probably the three top majors for basketball players at UNC.  The NCAA's minimum requirements for academic eligibility are below that of other students.  We can debate the fairness of this another time.  But I have a slightly different perspective on the term. 

Especially at a liberal arts school, where students are given the opportunity to learn and develop their talents in painting and sculpture and violin and voice and drama, I see no appreciable difference when it comes to student-athletes honing their athletic skills.  They learn about strength training, nutrition, and analyzing and playing the game at a higher level.  They're required to take classes subjects in which they may not intend to concentrate, just as any science student who must take an art class to graduate.  I happen to think coaches like Roy teach their athletes a great many intangibles: responsibility, accountability, level-headedness, leadership, sportsmanship, and respect.     

When the school takes the time to hire the right coaches, it can have an incredible impact. Roy Williams has continued Dean Smith's tradition of making players who do leave early promise to come back and finish their degrees.  And they have.  Michael Jordan did it.  Marvin Williams, who left after only one year at Carolina, can be seen lurking on campus every summer as he slowly chips away at his degree requirements.  And, might I add, this year's Inside Higher Education bracket demonstrated it is possible for a high caliber college program to remain true to the concept of "student-athlete."  

The Game

Undeniably, the caliber of play in the NBA is much, much higher than the average college basketball team.  It gets the cream of the crop of the college game.  This isn't a debatable point.

  

However, when an underdog team wins in college basketball, we feel exhilarated.  Why?  Because it's a real life David vs. Goliath.  We feel this way about the schools few have heard about.  We feel this way about schools that never had a storied program that had simply stumbled in the past few years.  Almost certainly, the underdog is not the most valuable college basketball team in a symbiotic relationship with the school, generating a name brand and raising thousands of dollars for its athletics department and, as a result of overflow generosity of alums, the rest of the university as well.  

When an "underdog" team wins in the NBA, I feel a bit disgusted.  They are, after all, paid at least $442,114.00 a year to be worth something.  One or two off years is understanable, but anything more for a professional franchise becomes pathetic.

There's also the post-season format.  The NBA playoffs, well, they make me yawn.  A best-of-five series may yield a result with greater precision, but it lacks the thrill of NCAA Tournament single-elimination.  

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And there you have it.  College basketball > professional basketball.  GO HEELS!!!