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Has college basketball become like Little League?

Rasco123

Benchwarmer
Jan 4, 2020
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I grew up playing little league basketball from the time I was in first grade back in the '80s.... And I had been watching IU from the mid 70s.... One of the things that inspired me to want to play was watching IU and college basketball because they were playing for their school and there was so much pride in the game and it was so different from the NBA... And I remember thinking through those years "maybe one day I'll be good enough to play for my high school"... And that's what all of my teammates thought... All we cared about was being able to play for our high school one day... And so all we really cared about was ourselves and how we could position ourselves to play for our high school... We all got participation trophies and the team that won the playoff had trophies that were a little bit taller but nobody really cared... It was always just about going to high school and playing basketball...

I see a similar thing in college now that I didn't see back in the seventies and '80s... National championships almost don't seem to matter anymore they're just a bullet point on a resume... Think about it... whoever wins the national championship... after one week it's completely forgotten about... It didn't used to be that way....

Now we see kids transferring moving all around trying to pad their resume because really all they care about is an NBA contract.... If they win the national championship, their trophy is a little taller... I miss the good old days of college basketball where people were playing for pride in their schools etc... And a national championship actually meant something more than a bullet point on a resume.... Watching college ball growing up... Players didn't act like I did in little league... Just some thoughts...
 
I grew up playing little league basketball from the time I was in first grade back in the '80s.... And I had been watching IU from the mid 70s.... One of the things that inspired me to want to play was watching IU and college basketball because they were playing for their school and there was so much pride in the game and it was so different from the NBA... And I remember thinking through those years "maybe one day I'll be good enough to play for my high school"... And that's what all of my teammates thought... All we cared about was being able to play for our high school one day... And so all we really cared about was ourselves and how we could position ourselves to play for our high school... We all got participation trophies and the team that won the playoff had trophies that were a little bit taller but nobody really cared... It was always just about going to high school and playing basketball...

I see a similar thing in college now that I didn't see back in the seventies and '80s... National championships almost don't seem to matter anymore they're just a bullet point on a resume... Think about it... whoever wins the national championship... after one week it's completely forgotten about... It didn't used to be that way....

Now we see kids transferring moving all around trying to pad their resume because really all they care about is an NBA contract.... If they win the national championship, their trophy is a little taller... I miss the good old days of college basketball where people were playing for pride in their schools etc... And a national championship actually meant something more than a bullet point on a resume.... Watching college ball growing up... Players didn't act like I did in little league... Just some thoughts...

One thing you are missing is...

the most important thing about college basketball has and always will be the fan base.

I too miss the go old days of players have pride in their school, and ultimately the greed may sour us fans and eventually ruin what makes amateur sports great for everyone. But if IU wins another championship, we'll know that it means more than just a bullet point on somebodies resume. The players come and go inside of 4 short years, but the fan base will live on.
 
One thing you are missing is...

the most important thing about college basketball has and always will be the fan base.

I too miss the go old days of players have pride in their school, and ultimately the greed may sour us fans and eventually ruin what makes amateur sports great for everyone. But if IU wins another championship, we'll know that it means more than just a bullet point on somebodies resume. The players come and go inside of 4 short years, but the fan base will live on.
You're absolutely right!
 
I grew up playing little league basketball from the time I was in first grade back in the '80s.... And I had been watching IU from the mid 70s.... One of the things that inspired me to want to play was watching IU and college basketball because they were playing for their school and there was so much pride in the game and it was so different from the NBA... And I remember thinking through those years "maybe one day I'll be good enough to play for my high school"... And that's what all of my teammates thought... All we cared about was being able to play for our high school one day... And so all we really cared about was ourselves and how we could position ourselves to play for our high school... We all got participation trophies and the team that won the playoff had trophies that were a little bit taller but nobody really cared... It was always just about going to high school and playing basketball...

I see a similar thing in college now that I didn't see back in the seventies and '80s... National championships almost don't seem to matter anymore they're just a bullet point on a resume... Think about it... whoever wins the national championship... after one week it's completely forgotten about... It didn't used to be that way....

Now we see kids transferring moving all around trying to pad their resume because really all they care about is an NBA contract.... If they win the national championship, their trophy is a little taller... I miss the good old days of college basketball where people were playing for pride in their schools etc... And a national championship actually meant something more than a bullet point on a resume.... Watching college ball growing up... Players didn't act like I did in little league... Just some thoughts...
NBA salary cap is $130MM/team and 32 teams so approaching $4 billion/year in NBA player salaries. That, for me, is an unbelievable amount of money and understandably impacts the priorities of young talented players.

I am like you. My shots on the schoolyard were accompanied by the fantasy that it was the final shot to win the championship in the IHSAA Final Four, never the NCAA nor the NBA championship.

I have been out of Indiana for many years-any chance single class basketball will return? I went to a small K-12 school with 200 students in high school. No one in our small school would never ever have supported class basketball. Any suggestion of class basketball would have resulted in Atomic Balm in your jock.
 
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One thing you are missing is...

the most important thing about college basketball has and always will be the fan base.

I too miss the go old days of players have pride in their school, and ultimately the greed may sour us fans and eventually ruin what makes amateur sports great for everyone. But if IU wins another championship, we'll know that it means more than just a bullet point on somebodies resume. The players come and go inside of 4 short years, but the fan base will live on.
I agree with this to a certain extent.. Many players may not have pride in their school, but that isn’t all of them. While players with extreme talent have always aspired to play professionally, I just believe it has become more of a focal point. Plus, wanting to get to the BIG leagues doesn’t mean the player can’t have real pride in their school.

Read this quote from TJD not long ago: “Indiana basketball is something that I have been blessed to be a part of. After talking with Coach Woodson and family, I believe that it is in my best interest to come back for my junior year,” Jackson-Davis said in his statement. “Hoosier Nation has been down for awhile now and I want to be a part of the change that make it great again. One last go around with the candy stripes. Let’s get to work!”

Seems to be some pride there...
 
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