I was thinking about this today while watching some old highlights. It feels like every year, the landscape of college sports shifts just a little bit more toward "bigger is better" and "more teams equals more revenue."
Don't get me wrong, I love seeing more teams get a shot at glory, but I can't help but feel like we're stripping away the unique identity of specific conferences. There’s something special about that one big game at the end of the season—the buildup, the travel, the shared tradition for everyone in the league. If we keep expanding the postseason to accommodate more programs, won't those local traditions just get swallowed up by the massive, nationalized version of the sport?
It feels like we're moving toward a model where everything is just a giant, monolithic tournament, and the little things that made our Saturday rituals feel special are being treated as "sacrifices" for the greater good.
Do you guys think the excitement of a bigger playoff is worth losing the specific traditions that make our local conferences feel unique?
Don't get me wrong, I love seeing more teams get a shot at glory, but I can't help but feel like we're stripping away the unique identity of specific conferences. There’s something special about that one big game at the end of the season—the buildup, the travel, the shared tradition for everyone in the league. If we keep expanding the postseason to accommodate more programs, won't those local traditions just get swallowed up by the massive, nationalized version of the sport?
It feels like we're moving toward a model where everything is just a giant, monolithic tournament, and the little things that made our Saturday rituals feel special are being treated as "sacrifices" for the greater good.
Do you guys think the excitement of a bigger playoff is worth losing the specific traditions that make our local conferences feel unique?
