Is NCAA Basketball All About The Money?

HOBE SOUND, Fla., April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In March and April every year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sponsors a 72-team men's college basketball tournament. The tournament takes place in several locations over several weeks and culminates in a championship game. The 2015 championship game was played in Indianapolis on April 6^th and it was probably watched by more than 20 million Americans. According to the Wall Street Journal the NCAA will collect about $800 million for the broadcast rights to all of its 2015 tournament games - - a 500% increase from two decades ago.

Americans for Responsible Advertising Inc. (AFRA) recorded the telecast of the 2015 championship game and analyzed the advertising that was shown from the beginning of the telecast until the end of the game. During that time there were 40 minutes of playing (i.e., clock running) time and slightly more than 44 minutes of advertising. Expressed another way, advertising accounted for 33% of the telecast. That is the highest percent of broadcast time ever devoted to advertising by a sports event analyzed by AFRA. But 33% doesn't tell the whole story with respect to the 2015 NCAA championship game. Not-counted advertising includes such things as the NCAA's logo being shown at nearly subliminal speed at the beginning and end of each replay and the NCAA logo and slogans being painted all over the floor and walls of the arena.  

The length of the telecast for the 2015 championship game was two hours and twenty-two minutes. College basketball has been getting longer for years largely because of more time outs and more commercials and, of course, the two are related. More time outs means more time for commercials. Is the NCAA "pushing it?" At what point will fans stay home and use their DVRs to watch games so that they can fast-forward through the storm of commercials that they would otherwise be exposed to?

Not only are college basketball games, especially televised games, getting longer, there are also more games each season than there used to be. The two protagonists in the 2015 NCAA championship game were Duke University and the University of Wisconsin. Both teams played a total of 26 games during their 1974-1975 seasons. During the 2014-2015 season, Duke played a total of 39 games and Wisconsin played a total of 40. For decades the NCAA tournament was referred to as "March Madness." Now the games spill over into April. What implications do more and longer games have for the "student-athletes" who play them? When are they supposed to study? How are they supposed to graduate? Are they being treated fairly by the universities they attend?

Duke beat Wisconsin 68 to 63 to win the 2015 NCAA championship game but one can't help wondering - -"Is NCAA basketball  all about the money?"

Media Contact: John Sullivan, AFRA, PO Box 1921, Hobe Sound, Fl 33475; 231-392-3882

SOURCE Americans for Responsible Advertising Inc.