Opposed to NCAA Tournament Expansion? A Suggestion For Action

So here we are on the eve of one of the greatest weekends in sports, the Final Four, and the talk about expanding the tournament has raged all across the media, the Internet, and water coolers across this great land—with a strong majority opposed to the expansion of the field.

While I join in that group, I think it's redundant for me to give the reasons why, because we all know them by now.

What I want to focus on, instead, is what you, the paying fans, can do about it, especially since several people out there have resigned themselves to the reality that expansion is inevitable. 

In as much as technology and social media have evolved to support causes, a very 1.0-based campaign may be necessary to get the point across, especially since most of the decision-makers are not particularly tuned into using social media to track the pulse of their customers.

Remember how back in the day if you supported or opposed legislation before congress, you wrote letters to your congressman? Well, the same applies here, only the people you write to are a little different.

I'll try to list them in order from those who would be most responsive to those who probably are the least. From there, maybe you can decide which people you would target.

Your Favorite School's Athletic Director:

Remember you are a PAYING CUSTOMER of this athletic department (in that you, if I'm assuming right, buy tickets and merchandise, or maybe even contribute to the annual fund).

So naturally, the athletic director has some interest in your opinion of the state of college basketball (even if it's usually communicated to him/her by the Assistant AD for Marketing, and if it's not, neither the Athletic Director or Assistant AD for Marketing is going to be employed for very long). 

At the same time, your school's athletic director usually has the ear of some important people in the NCAA's decision-making process, including the commissioner of the school's conference and the AD's personal contacts who are on NCAA committees responsible for the decision.

If you can somehow make the point that a longer tournament affects your ability to buy tickets to home games or follow your favorite school in the tournament, thus having a fiscal impact on the school itself, you might have a compelling case the AD is willing to listen to.

The Commissioner of the Conference Your Favorite School Plays in:

The conference commissioner has similar contacts inside the NCAA's decision-making process, but when writing to the conference commissioner, your letter needs to focus on how the conference tournament would be affected by NCAA expansion. 

As noted in an earlier post of mine, conference tournaments are major investments on the part of the conferences in the expectation of a strong payout, and if your ability to attend the conference tournament OR your interest in it (particularly TV viewing) is going to be affected by NCAA expansion, the conference commissioner should be concerned.

NCAA Administration and Committee Members:

These people are probably going to be the hardest to reach, largely because they are several layers removed from the fans. What makes it more difficult is that these people are the ones who are going to be directly involved in the deliberations regarding expansion. 

Maybe directly writing them is not such a good idea, but if you're suggesting a course of action to the other two individuals listed above, you can tell them to relay your concerns to suitable contacts at the NCAA.

So What Should You Write About?

That depends on who you are. Maybe you're a fan who has tight finances and can only go to the tournament if you attend less regular season or conference tournament games.  Maybe you're a student who can't ditch school for three weeks nonstop to watch the tournament. 

Either way, you need to show who you're writing the fact that you're a PAYING FAN, and your ability to keep giving them your hard-earned dollars will be affected by expansion.

And Remember to Find Strength in Numbers:

If you belong to a booster club, a fan support group, or just happen to know a bunch of like-minded friends who wouldn't mind writing letters and buying stamps, rally your constituents together and write multiple letters. At the same time, reach out to your networks of fellow fans and encourage them to do the same.

Anybody can ignore one or two odd letters, but sacks of mail send an entirely different message (especially this day in age, when people rarely send snail mail).

In Closing:

My fan guide from the 1998 Final Four includes an introductory note from C.M. Newton, the longtime Kentucky athletic director and Chair of that year's tournament committee, explaining that "The primary focus this weekend is on those college students, the four outstanding schools they represent, their coaches, administrators, alumni, and fans." 

That last one is you. You are part of that group that has a tremendous stake in this, one of the grand traditions in all of sport. And since you are fan enough to read to the end of this post, chances are that your opinions about the tournament's future need to be heard.

P.S. I'm assuming that you're Internet savvy enough to find out the appropriate addresses to write to. If not, assistance can be provided here to the best of my ability if you comment below.