So to all those so upset that UNC made the NCAAT, still think UNC does not belong???
- Thread starter DSouthr
- Start date
I think it was debatable whether we did enough to get selected this year, but some of these clowns banging the table about it being 'criminal' or any other implication that it was an open-and-shut case that we should have been excluded are either clueless, delusional, or just hungry for attention - maybe more than one of those. We certainly proved we are good enough to be in, regardless of the ups and downs of our season, and happy for our guys to get a crack at a good SEC team and see what happens. Happy for Seth to get to play at home in the Dance, for Withers to not have to end his story on a sour note, etc. And super happy we sent a message to the haters, whether we listened or not. Good on the guys and Coach for rocking it out - survive and advance!
I don’t think UNC proved they belonged in the tournament anymore because of last night. To me, that conversation is over regardless what side people stand on. It doesn’t matter. There isn’t an anti-UNC bias either. The bias is towards the attention economy and UNC draws attention so you will hear more criticism to draw more attention in an attention economy when there is a talking point.
That isn’t the important thing anyway. UNC is in and they have an opportunity to stick around for longer. I really don’t care about anything else.
I’m probably too close to the sun. But I really cannot understand why people care so much about what talking heads have to say. Who cares?
That isn’t the important thing anyway. UNC is in and they have an opportunity to stick around for longer. I really don’t care about anything else.
I’m probably too close to the sun. But I really cannot understand why people care so much about what talking heads have to say. Who cares?
It is things like what you say in your first paragraph that just does not allow me to take you seriously. Of course it matters, it was a collective effort nationally to shade our program and our AD. It had echos of the AFAM nonsense, the last time the national media lined up to drill UNC for doing nothing wrong. Who cares you ask, 15 guys dressed in UNC jerseys, a coaching staff, and MILLIONS of Tar Heels across this country, that is who cares.
You are missing the elephant in the living room. Or to be precise, the 2 elephants in the living room: ESPN and SEC. As soon as EWSOPN got all the rights to the SEC, it began trumpeting SEC! SEC! SEC! as if it had been founded at the SEC headquarters by a team of all SEC grads and had grown and prospered from showing SEC games regionally.
And at the same time, ESPN also began backing far away from any kind of promotion of the ACC. That includes lots of ESPN. talking heads parroting each other that the Big 12 has become a definitely better basketball league than the ACC and the SEC soon would top both. Across the country all kinds of general, both casual and passionate, CBB fans took that to mean that honest ESPN ws not acting as advertiser for all things SEC by downgrading the ACC, but that ESOPN was telling the Godls honest truth and the ACC was terrible at b both revenue sports. As that all came while SEC fans were ll over the internet exposing th plan to destroy the ACC so that the SEC could take what it wanted, casual fans began to b relief that even UNC-Dook basketball, no longer could be really good.
So when this year happened and UNC got in, they went bonkers.
I've been part of show staffs and programming decisions in media throughout my professional career. I've never once been part of a show meeting where we've discussed how we're going to attack a player or a team or a league. In all of my meetings pertaining to shows, the Executive Producer (sometimes me) generally asks a question to start the meeting "what are people talking about today." Then you build a show from there. Sometimes it varies show to show. For instance, if a commentator gets specifically called out by a player, then that commentator will respond on their show when that might not be a topic on a different show. I can't speak for every show on air, but every show staff that I've been part of is only biased to the stories that are getting attention on that particular day. Maybe today, it's literally that particular hour because the news cycle is so short.
Also, there were absolutely people at ESPN that were defending UNC during the AFAM stuff. Jay Bilas said on record numerous times that he believes and supports Roy Williams. Dan Dakich said during a broadcast that if you're getting recruited by UNC and other programs are saying UNC is going to get punished, don't listen to them because nobody knows right now. That was an objective opinion that was really neither supporting UNC nor against UNC. It was just an objective fact at that time.
And @WoadBlue, I'm just telling you how sports media works. They're not inherently biased towards the SEC or against the ACC. They're biased towards which events, and in term, which conferences bring in the most money. The reality is this was a pretty uneventful ACC basketball season. Duke was the clear class of the league and ESPN bets on UNC and Duke to be meaningful in terms of the ACC conference and NCAA Tournament seeding. The reality is that the SEC was a more captivating league this season so it got more attention. The SEC has been a more captivating football league so it gets more attention.
The opinion is flawed anyway. ESPN started The Longhorn network. Then Texas football became largely irrelevant during its existence and they didn't really promote the network much. Of course they promoted it at the infancy because they devoted a lot of resources to it. But I'm guessing when the revenue wasn't pouring in, they didn't promote it much. Then the partnership obviously ended once Texas joined the SEC.
Now one thing I will admit. The content today vs when I started is much more geared towards social media and YouTube where labeling and SEO becomes almost as important as the content itself. So maybe 10 years ago where the content on these shows are more layered and more in depth, today due to social media, shows are produced for the talent to produce sound bytes as opposed to a legitimate conversation. Maybe that opens up content to be more "Yes/No" questions.
Apologies for the essay but there isn't some plan to be against anyone. I've worked for a media network that has ACC sports rights. Never once was it "how do we screw over UNC (or any team) today?" It was strictly which event would get the most eyeballs.
That's my take for someone who's been in the industry for a while. Again, maybe I'm too close to the sun but that's more of an inside view.
Weird to see Carolina fans bragging about our team belonging in the tournament just because some talking media heads said we didn’t.
As excited as I was with how the team played, we’re still the 68th team selected which I consider a total disappointment for a team that was preseason top 20.
As excited as I was with how the team played, we’re still the 68th team selected which I consider a total disappointment for a team that was preseason top 20.
End of the day we were a Bubble Team again…We got in and that’s good but it’s not a place where you want to be as a program moving forward…
selection of those odd teams this time of year automatically generates hate. The selection process isn't much more free of randomness than what you get from spinning those board game spinners. Griping about it is much like complaining about having the score run up on you. You don't want that to happen? Then don't put yourself in that position. Be better.
I know it's the nature of today's society but to beat our chests so much about winning a play-in round game is also strange to me.
But they deserve credit for playing well in their most important game of the season.
For me, it didn't really prove much. But to each their own.
"I've been part of show staffs and programming decisions in media throughout my professional career."
Yep, after reading that sentence, I felt no need to read further. Congrats on being part of the problem...
It may not mean much as far as success down the road, but, man, it sure felt good! If it was just that one game, I would agree with you, but looking back, we have now played 9 of 11 games in a similar fashion. Not just beating mediocre/bad teams but pounding them.
BTW, I really liked your explanation of program content and how it is determined. I think you are exactly right as far as programs, but I do think some individuals look for opportunities to give us a jab. I don't usually think Bilas and J Williams are in that camp, although they are "dookie boys."
It's totally embarrassing for any Carolina team to even be in a discussion about deserving to be in when this was the worst ACC field ever.
We can not continue this path of being just good enough. It's is a huge indictment of our coaching staff to have been on the bubble and everyone knowing we had the talent to win more games. We was up 40 point late in a game in the NCAAt on a team that was suppose to be equal to us in seeding, when the gap from what 1 seeds are beating 16 seeds is closing year by year and it has even happened 2 time recently. Completely unacceptable!
We can not continue this path of being just good enough. It's is a huge indictment of our coaching staff to have been on the bubble and everyone knowing we had the talent to win more games. We was up 40 point late in a game in the NCAAt on a team that was suppose to be equal to us in seeding, when the gap from what 1 seeds are beating 16 seeds is closing year by year and it has even happened 2 time recently. Completely unacceptable!
agree - we need to be consistently out of this fray every year or change is needed
