by Todd Pheifer

Created on: February 19, 2009   Last Updated: March 05, 2009

Tough times

The economy is on everyone's mind as the financial market continues to struggle, people keep losing jobs, companies report record losses, and prospects for the future are not that great. In all sectors of life, people are looking to cut costs and "tighten their belts." Budgets are being scrutinized and everyone is looking for ways to save money. Colleges are no different as economics affect everyone and even educational institutions are being scrutinized as to their spending patterns. The men's college basketball tournament represents a great deal of money for a variety of constituents. Here are a few thoughts one whether or not the economy will factor into the tournament pairings.

Revenue at stake

The bottom line is that the NCAA is going to do what they feel is best in terms of maximizing revenue. There may be some purists who are still concerned about the "sanctity" of the contests, but most decisions will be made for financial gain and to please the networks. Therefore, the economy may be affected a lot of areas of the country, but the NCAA is always interested in intriguing match-ups. As the old business adage goes, "you have to spend money to make money." What that means is that the NCAA is not going to risk interesting games just to save a few regional dollars. They might argue that they are better off spending the money so that revenue is not lost.

What can be saved

Another thing to consider is what items can actually be saved by creating certain pairings. The reality of the tournament is that most of the items are going to be spent, regardless of where the games are played. For example, players and fans will stay at hotels, flights will be booked, food will be eaten, and souveniers will be purchased. One might argue that costs could be saved by keeping everything within certain regional boundaries. However, the NCAA again risks the loss of certain match-ups, which could limit overall revenue.

Affording the games

People that attend tournament games fall into two categories. Either they can afford to go, or they will make poor choices and put things on credit cards, regardless of the economy. Again, people might save a few dollars if they had to travel shorter distances, but the bulk of the costs are going to remain the same. And, as mentioned, the NCAA, the schools, and the network really don't care a whole lot about the economy. The tournament is their opportunity to make a lot of revenue and it doesn't matter that people shouldn't be spending money. If fans will hand it over, the parties involved are willing to take it.

The show must go on

Regardless of the economy, people are going to spend money on the tournament. The pairings are designed to create certain match-ups that are intriguing to fans, which means that the NCAA will always look to make the most money. Of course, the NCAA could always argue that they are stimulating the economy by maximizing their spending and employing people. In addition, the people that attend certain games are often people who can afford the cost anyway.

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