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The Maddening Part of March Madness
I’m sure some of you are enjoying March Madness and as commercialized as it is, I do believe it’s a breath of fresh air a week after the disastrous college admissions scandal that roped in the entire country’s attention.
Sure, the NCAA has just as much work to do to eliminate corruption at the elite level, but can we just admire the young men and women playing in both the Men’s and Women’s tournament? Can we admire the guts and the lengths they go to not just make it to the Dance, but also the hard work they put in to earn every minute on the floor!
Players like Zion Williams make it look easy, but I have to believe he, like every other player on any NCAA (D1, D2, D3) campus and certainly on the NCAA Tournament floor did two-a-days in preseason, showed up for practice, encouraged by family day in and day out pursuing a career in this sport!
It’s no wonder all the jumping around by these schools on Selection Sunday and after every game , because the kids see that HARD WORK DOES PAY OFF!
At Queens College, I got to see the hard work by my athlete friends in basketball, baseball, softball , soccer, lacrosse, and all sports on campus. They got up early, they practiced, they took their reps in the cage or at the foul line to sharpen up, they did not slack! So, having been around an athletics program I have immense appreciation for the excitement and passion these young men and women have in this tournament.
It’s just a shame that the feel good stories of March Madness will take a back seat compared to the elitist entitled Hollywood stars paying for their kid to be on a team. The elitism was splashed in our face , a point I made on my latest Spreaker podcast (https://t.co/E7zIVi9ICG).
For instance, I saw on Wednesday the disgusting story of a “women’s soccer player” playing for UCLA because her parents paid for it, as the young lady had no experience actually playing soccer. Meanwhile, the first two teams in the First Four made it to the round of 64 in the big Tourney and did anyone give a hoot? Not as much! Didn’t make national headlines .
President Trump is right that fake news is overpowering the news cycle . Because if the news wanted to be more in the spirit of feel good and truth, they’d report the stories of those who are battling it out on the hardwood floors across the country in the Madness that kicks up every March!
