Expanding the NCAA Tournament honors college sports' tradition of fixing what's not broken

2 min read
Expanding the NCAA Tournament honors college sports' tradition of fixing what's not broken

Expanding the NCAA Tournament honors college sports' tradition of fixing what's not broken

Expansion has always been a power play for two things: money and access. In this instance, the goalposts are moving for Cinderella's value.

Expanding the NCAA Tournament honors college sports' tradition of fixing what's not broken

Expansion has always been a power play for two things: money and access. In this instance, the goalposts are moving for Cinderella's value.

College sports has a long-standing tradition of tinkering with things that work just fine, and the latest example is the NCAA Tournament expansion. On Thursday, the Division I men's and women's basketball committees voted unanimously to grow their postseason fields from 68 to 76 teams—a move that, while not entirely surprising, marks the most significant shake-up since the tournament expanded to 64 teams back in 1985.

This decision didn't come out of nowhere. NCAA President Charlie Baker has been championing expansion for months, and the idea has floated around for over a decade. But now it's official, and the goalposts are shifting—not just for the power conferences, but for Cinderella too. Traditionally, tournament expansion has been about two things: money and access. More teams mean more games, more broadcast revenue, and more opportunities for mid-major programs to chase that elusive March Madness magic.

For fans, this means a deeper field and potentially more bracket-busting upsets. For players, it's a shot at the big stage that might have slipped away before. But for the purists, it's another reminder that in college sports, nothing stays untouched for long—even when it's working perfectly.

As the bureaucratic wheels turn toward final approval, one thing is clear: the NCAA Tournament, already one of the most beloved events in sports, is about to get a little bigger. Whether that's a good thing or not depends on how you feel about fixing what's not broken.

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