We Americans are a free market-lovin' society. We must have choices that compete for our attention. Ice cream? Thirty-one flavors, please. Satellite television? No fewer than about a bajillion channels will do. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
Meanwhile, we scorn those who seek to dominate a part of society. The Yankees, Microsoft, Clear Channel-none is going to be winning \Miss Congeniality"" in the beauty pageant anytime soon.
But there's one other monopoly that we have passively accepted for too long. And apparently, it's now time to throw off the chains of oppression and put a stop to the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA has been sued by, of all groups, the National Invitation Tournament. The NIT argued last week in a U.S. District Court that the NCAA violates antitrust laws because it requires teams to participate in the NCAA Tournament if they are invited.
In defending the NCAA, its lawyer told The Indianapolis Star that while anyone-the NIT or someone else-could come along and throw a bunch of money at a school to skip out on the NCAA and play in an alternate tournament, this would ""diminish the legitimacy of the national championship.""
Right. Frankly, I can't understand why the NCAA is even taking this seriously.
Let's say I scrape together some sponsors and crown my own college basketball champion. I can see how the NCAA would be frightened by this possibility. Nothing challenges the legitimacy of its championship quite like the winner of the First Annual Michael Worringer Championship Shootout Presented by Frito-Lay.
It will be grand. I'll throw a few million at Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina. Those schools have won enough NCAA titles. They can take a break from it and compete for something new, right? I'm sure those universities' students and alumni won't mind at all.
Now, I won't have much credibility initially to secure additional sponsors, and since my primary sponsor makes snacks, paying for any other good teams just won't happen. So I will fill out the field with all those powerhouses Marquette fills its schedule with each year, like Coastal Carolina, Savannah State and the Rockford School of the Blind.
Sorry NIT, but your lawsuit is as ridiculous as my tournament ideas.
Yes, maybe it operates like a monopoly in some ways, but that's how we like it.
When it's all said and done, it's for the best to have one clearly defined champion, be it pro or college-even in college football (cue the protests at Southern Cal).
Guess I will have to scrap my plans for a trophy made of Doritos and dip. It's a shame, really. The winners of my tournament could have, for the first time, literally tasted victory.
Michael Worringer can be reached for comment at mtworringer@wisc.edu.
