I want to say this without trying to come off like I am fussing about that last game, it is not my intent to do so. But there are a lot of folks that want to fit you for a tin hat just because you see a game and feel there was some outside influence with the manner the game is called.
Guys, college sports, there is literally TO MUCH MONEY INVOLVED FOR THERE NOT TO BE OUTSIDE INFLUENCES! For anyone to suggest otherwise is indication that they do not understand how the real world works, both the good and the not so much. FOLLOW THE $$$ folks!
How many millions were involved in just this title game, heck it may have got in to the near billion range? You do not have $$$ like that tossed around and there not be corruption involved. How much $$$ was brought to the table by gambling alone, gambling, not as if that has not ever effected a sporting contest at all right? Commercial TV money, why do ya think we played so many very late games in this tourney, so the west coast viewers could see a great team play later than 5pm maybe? That is influence folks, clearly some of the match ups were influenced by commercial TV, ya think a 3rd round match up of UNC vs either Indiana or Ky was not engineered a little bit, even as the selection committee denied doing so? Ya think the defending champs being able to reach the 3rd round having to beat UNCW and the college of who the hell cares was not influenced a little bit, ya want to fit me with a tin hat for saying that feel free.
When you have Business Insider suggesting that final game did not smell right you should stop and listen, unless you want to fit well respected business publications with tin hats as well.
In any game, you have 3 men wearing striped shirts with whistles, not 3 robots but 3 human beings and MONEY can make pretty much any human being do things they would not normally do. You gonna tell me you do not have a price tag? If I offerred to give you $20 million to build a stature of K in your front yard, would ya do it? How much would it take to have to raise a duke flag in your front yard, $1 million, NO, How about $5 million?
Tell ya what folks, give me $20 million to build a statue of K in my front yard and place that money in an escrow account, I am cashing that check and sorry if that disappoints any of ya!
And what is the price tag for Vegas to buy a referee? A small call here or there in a big moment changes a game, how much would it take to make that happen? Here is a million cash, would that do it, how about 5? Is this what happened in that title game, IDK but I do know gambling interests constantly try to influence the out comes of games.
How about this, you work for the NCAA and your bosses share with you that it would be embarassing for a team under NCAA investigation to the degree we are to win the title. Sure would hate to see the very thing that pays ALL of the NCAA bills become tainted because the winner is under investigation, it could open the door for all kinds of corruption to be exposed or at very least assumed, it could tear our entire brand down, we could all be unemployed...Your boss could say that and never suggest you do anything, it just frames your thinking, you have been influenced without being given strict orders.
My point is influence happens in both overt and covert ways and some form of out side influence is always going to occur when you have so many millions of dollars involved. If you don't realize that then I am not the one that needs fitting for a tin hat, it would be you that needs that fitting. There is the side of college sports that is seen and shown to everyone but there is a dark side as well that is not shown to the public. We all want a level playing field but the field will never be level in anything where so much money is involved and that is just the cold hard truth. There have been many articles written about outside influences in college sports, there are as well influences that are defined more as inside than outside. There are things that occur every day the NCAA knows about but does nothing about, they keep those things inside the family so to speak and hope the media does not expose it for what it really is.
This AFAM issue we have, the NCAA has NEVER wanted any part of this, they never wanted this to be shown in the light of day and it scares the hell out of them now, because they know, this isn't a UNC problem, this is a problem at every one of their member schools. It is just the media ran with the UNC story and the NCAA wants that bell un-rung least it ring for EVERYONE! If you do not know this is a situation that EVERY major D-1 program has then you need the tin hat more than me...
Do you really believe that only at UNC are athletes treated differently than regular students? Do you really believe that there is a major D-1 program in basketball or football where their athletes do not get extra benefits? Answer that with a straight face Ky fan, duke fan, NC State fan, answer that without telling a lie...YOU KNOW even if you do not want to admit it...You know!
