From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about unpopular opinions. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Unpopular Opinion” articles here.
Not only is the temperature rising outside as we are heading towards summer, here at LGHL we figured we would turn up the heat with some of our most unpopular opinions that might make people blow a gasket. Besides, since there isn’t much going on with Ohio State sports right now, we have to find some way to have a little fun as we pass the time before preseason practices for the Buckeyes begin in August.
Today we are going to tackle college athletics as a whole. Maybe there is something in a certain sport that you have a take about that gets others in a tizzy. Whether it be the football field, hardwood, the diamond, or it could encompass all collegiate sports, we want to hear your spiciest opinion. The one thing we ask is that you don’t attack anybody personally in a hugely negative way. While it’s ok to agree with some of the decisions of someone like Ryan Day or how much you might hate players from That Team Up North, we are hoping that Buckeye Nation can keep things civil when revealing their unpopular opinions.
Today’s question: What is your most unpopular opinion about college athletics?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: The men’s college basketball NCAA Tournament is losing its juice
Don’t get me wrong, I still love March Madness, it just doesn’t feel the same these days. The transfer portal and players either leaving for the NBA Draft after one season or finding other avenues so they can avoid college basketball altogether are just a couple of reasons why the tournament has been lacking in intrigue lately. Also, it doesn’t help that Ohio State has not only struggled to make the tournament, they haven’t made the second weekend of the dance in more than a decade.
Then there is also the talk of expanding the tournament field. There is absolutely no reason to do so since the tournament is already a tough watch to begin with. Not that there aren’t some fun games along the way and upsets that captivate the college basketball world. For some reason, it doesn’t feel nearly as magical as it used to. Then again, maybe I’m just becoming even more of a curmudgeon than I used to be.
When you look at the numbers, it’s not just me. The ratings for the NCAA Tournament are down and there isn’t nearly the talk about it as there felt like there was 10-15 years ago. Back then everybody filled out a bracket, while these days it feels like more and more people aren’t. Some of it can be blamed on the transfer portal, which sometimes makes it hard to know who is playing for what schools. In a way, I miss the days when you had college basketball teams with a core of players that stayed in school for three to four years. Maybe NIL fixes some of that, but I’m not holding my breath since the best players are going to head to the NBA as soon as they can.
The same can’t be said for the women’s tournament, which has captivated the nation over the last few years. Even though Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and a number of other high-profile players are now playing in the WNBA, the rise in viewership and intrigue for the women’s tournament doesn’t feel like it is going to slow down any time soon because now viewers are familiar with other star players that will be returning to college next season. As hot as the women’s tournament has been in terms of ratings and just overall excitement, the men’s tournament is trending in the opposite direction.
Matt’s answer: I do not care about the new EA Sports College Football Game
I know that this is almost certainly a product of my age, but I get the excitement around the return of the EA Sports college football video game — I played the game for years in my teens and early twenties — but I just can’t get myself hyped up for its return in 2024. Admittedly, I have never been much of a gamer, so I am not exactly the target audience for this game, but the amount of ink (and perhaps some other fluids) spilled about every single little morsel of news is mind-boggling to me.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to yuck anyone’s yums; if you are geeked for this, I am happy for you, and I want you to enjoy every single nuance of the game and its rollout… it’s just not for me. The last legit gaming system I had was a PS2, and while I have “Galaga” and “Pac-Man” cabinets and some cheap old knock-off vintage systems that I almost never play, video games have never been a major part of my life.
And now that I watch my nephew play EA’s “FIFA” game and “NBA 2K,” it has become clear to me that the college football game that I played is a relic of the past. With microtransactions and opening cards and franchise development, that is not the same game that I once enjoyed (but wasn’t very good at). In all honesty, I might be more interested in the roster management portion of this new version than I am in the actual gameplay. But, truth be told, I will probably never find out, because not only do not have a compatible gaming system, the chances of me getting one are next to zero.
Of course, I am excited about what this means for the players and the younger fans who have never had the opportunity to play a college football game at all, let alone one that actually is able to take advantage of the players’ names, images, and likenesses. But, for me, a middle-aged dude in his early 40s, I have been honestly surprised by the fervor that people in my general demographic have displayed for the release of a video game… even one that millions have been waiting for over a decade.
