by Todd Pheifer

Created on: March 17, 2008

I write this article from the standpoint of someone who has made a change in my viewpoint over the last 10-15 years. Therefore, I am conscious of the fact that I could change again, depending on my tastes and the state of the sports. Some people are consistent over their entire lives while others, like me, have made some shifts as life has progressed. Here are a few thoughts on my tastes and why they have changed.

FIRST, IT WAS PRO...

I grew up an NBA fan and this continued through my college years. During that time the NBA was arguably at it's peak, with the Bird/Magic era and the storied Chicago Bulls dynasty led by Michael Jordan. The league was very compelling at that point and the drama was high. I am sure that college was also interesting during that time, but I did not grow up following it and so perhaps it was simply an undiscovered joy. As the Jordan era ended, the NBA started to be less interesting to me. The match-ups were not as good, and the players started to be a bit irritating with their attitudes and general lack of perceived effort. Some of this may be the marketing of the sport, which many consider to be geared towards younger people. Whatever the case, I started to find myself checking the sports section a lot less often during basketball season.

...THEN THERE WAS COLLEGE

As I grew a little older, I started to discover the college game, specifically March Madness. The "Big Dance" is a tremendously exciting time of year, and I have yet to see a tournament that did not have a number of buzz-beating nail-biters. In general, I don't find that I have time to follow college basketball during the season, but come tournament time I am hooked. If I can, I watch every broadcast game, whether on TV or via the Internet. The action is fantastic, and the drama is far superior to the NBA.

I suppose over time I may switch back to an NBA allegiance, but for now there is an energy to college basketball that is not duplicated in the pros. I know that collegiate athletics is not a "squeaky clean" environment as there are always rumors about unethical boosters. In addition, the NCAA loves money just as much as the pros. However, college basketball is currently faster and more compelling than pro basketball. For now, I will stick to March Madness and leave the NBA for others to follow.

Learn more about this author, Todd Pheifer.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.