Madness Comes Every March
21 October 2012 History of Basketball In order to speak about the impact the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has played in the sports world, one must first understand the origination of the sport itself. The game of basketball has been around since December 21st, 1891 where it was founded by Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, MA. Dr. Naismith, originally from Canada, had his roots in ministry before choosing to follow his true passion of physical education and it was through this that he found himself enrolled at the International Young Men’s Christian Association Training School. The game originated as a way to handle a group of hostile youth during the physical education hour at the YMCA. Dr. Naismith’s original attempts were to reformat outdoor sports and activities and bring them indoors, but soon realized that these activities were meant to be outdoors for a reason. However, he did not want to falter away from his belief in games as a means of providing physical activity for the youth and decided that a new activity needed to be created. A soccer ball was employed, baskets were built, and soon after – the game of basketball was created. Originally, the game was envisioned by Naismith to be played by any number of players and with that being said, the first game was played by 18 players, nine on each team. The hoops were set at today’s standard of ten feet simply due to the fact that the balconies in which he chose to hang the baskets were ten feet high. The game was taken by several students in the class and introduced in their hometowns, but were unable to be properly introduced without a formal set of rules. In the creation of the game, Dr. Naismith had created 13 original rules for the game, and in January of 1892, the rules were published as follows:
1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it; allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping or striking, in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made; or, if there was evident intent to injure the person for the whole of the game, no substitute shall be allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of Rules 3, 4, and such as described in Rule 5.
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the opponents. (Consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul.)
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.
10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals, with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two fifteen minute halves, with five minutes rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winners. In case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made (Hollander, 1979, p. 5).
As one can see, the game of basketball has changed a lot since its inception, but there are still many qualities of the game that remain true today (Hollander, 1979). The game of basketball continues to be a sport that has only grown in popularity since its humble beginnings in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is played, not only in the United States, but is a sport that is played all around the world in clubs, schools, universities, professionally, and is even an Olympic sport. Although many events have been created that revolve around the game of basketball, there are few that standout in the public’s minds and one of those comes through on March of every year, and it is: the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament, best known as “March Madness”.
History of the NCAA Tournament The first NCAA Tournament was held in 1939, but it wasn’t sponsored by the NCAA – it was sponsored by the NABC (The National Association of Basketball Coaches). The concept of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament wasn’t even originated by the NCAA, but by the NABC as a way to combat with the NIT (The National Invitational Tournament) that held its first tournament the year prior in New York. The first NCAA Tournament was a bout between Ohio State University and the University of Oregon, where Oregon found themselves the first NCAA Champions of the eight-team tournament. However, with the attendance being weaker than expected and figures in the negative, the NABC had to ask the NCAA to take responsibility of the tournament (Douchant, 1995). For years following its inaugural tournament, the NIT and NCAA battled for the top spot as the top post-season tournament, but as everyone is well aware – the NCAA came out on top in that battle. Today, the NCAA Tournament can be best described by Bill Bradley, Naismith Hall of Fame Member (1983) as an event in which “any one of the 334 Division I teams has a shot at making the 65-team Tournament field and, once there, an underdog can heat up and win its way to the national championship” (Editors of ESPN, 2009) Hence the name, “March Madness” which originated from the phrase: “Mad as a March hare” in reference to hare’s “wild, frantic behavior… during mating season” (The history of March Madness). However, after being used to describe the tournament in 1982, it has become a part of its identity within sports culture today (The history of March Madness). Another staple of the NCAA Tournament is the infamous NCAA Bracket, one of the most popular activities participated in by spectators today. It wasn’t until 1984 when the NCAA expanded to 64 teams that the “bracket racket” really began (Editors of ESPN, 2009). The excitement the month of March brings to sports fans cannot be matched as spectators sit, glued to their televisions to see if their favorites will advance or if a “Cinderella Story” will make its way through the ranks to find itself in the Final Four, and sometimes, even the National Championship.
The Impact of “March Madness” It is no question that the NCAA Men’s Tournament draws millions of viewers around the nation every March and the participating universities, hosting cities, as well as spectators are all affected in some way. There are differing views on the impact of the tournament on hosting cities, but there is no question that the participating teams and universities are benefiting from payouts from the NCAA. More than the standard set of teams that make an appearance year after year, the “Cinderella” teams really feel the impact of their team’s play in the tournament. For example, George Mason University saw a 40% increase in out-of-state applications, bookstores sales in March alone matched the previous year’s revenues, and alumni contributions saw a 52% increase after their performance in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. In a study of the effect the tournament had on the university for the following two years, researchers estimated that the university received $677,474,659 in free advertising and media exposure (Reed, 2012). However, with any team’s success comes more dedicated followers, and many of these fans are students of the universities. In a study done by Charles Clotfelter, a professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy, he found results regarding students’ library attendance correlating with the team’s results in the tournament and coined it the “partisan fan effect”. As a team continued to win, the university’s library usage decreased whereas once a team lost in the tournament, normal work and studies would pick up instantly (Jwo, 2010). Although universities are feeling the cost benefits of participating in the tournament, there are always going to be some negatives to come alongside the positives. A majority of people may assume that the positive economic impact felt by hosting cities cannot be matched, but when taking a more in-depth look at the numbers – this may not necessarily be the case. The month of March comes with a large number of fans, both men and women, actively participating in betting pools regarding their brackets (Horrow & Swatek, 2009). With money on the line, people will find time in their day to research games, discuss results, or view predictions online; and in a study done by Challenger, Gray & Christian, they found that there is about a $175,000,000 loss in productivity over the first two days of the tournament alone (Horrow & Finkel, 2012). It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, if you are a fan – you will find time in your day for March Madness. Even our very own President of the United States of America takes the time out of his day to fill out a bracket and follow the NCAA Tournament even amidst an economic recession (Jwo, 2010).
When looking beyond the basic factors that are analyzed regarding the tournament’s economic impact, we find that the tournament has traditionally held a negative economic impact. From 1970 through 1999, the average real economic impact was estimated to be at a -$44.28 million dollars where “typical” numbers claim gains ranging from $25 million to $110 million. These sorts of differences are not small in any definition of the word and the reason for the difference is due to hosting cities oversimplifying the numbers. Those responsible will simply look at numbers such as: the number of visitors expected at the event, the number of days that are planned to stay, and the average amount that will be spent in a day. Economists that provided the negative numbers dug deeper into the event regarding the true impact of the event rather than using simpler formulas (Reed, 2012). It is obvious that there is a difference in opinions regarding the actual economic impact of the NCAA Tournament, but regardless of its impact, the tournament has proven time after time that you can never count anyone out. The “Cinderella” stories never get old and give hope to those smaller universities, not only in the sport of basketball, but in all sports. The George Masons and Butlers give hope to schools that often times – it is a matter of who came to play on that day and this is definitely one of the many things that add to the appeal of “March Madness”. Furthermore, with big sporting events going on year round, the timing of the event falls right before the beginning of spring training for the MLB and before the beginning of the NBA Playoffs. If anything, it only adds to the excitement for the sport of basketball as fans and spectators are still on a high by the end of March and wanting more. There is no question that the NCAA Tournament plays a large role in the economy, but on the sports scene as a whole.
Marketing and Sponsorship of the NCAA Tournament As opposed to one-time events like the Super Bowl, March Madness is a month full of games on numerous networks and is a marketing/advertising department’s dream – it can be considered a marketing “season” as opposed to a mere 30 seconds on a single event. The NCAA tournament is ranked second only to the NFL Playoffs, and in 2011, CBS took home $613.8 million dollars in ad revenue which “eclipsed” both the NBA and MLB. CBS signed a 3 year deal with the NCAA for $48 million back in 1982, and the ever growing popularity of the tournament has grown exponentially from that time and promised to generate ad revenue for the host, CBS. Since then, CBS has had a stronghold over the NCAA Tournament for the past 30 years and will continue to retain the rights to the tournament for at least the next 12 years. In April 2010, CBS signed a 14 year deal with the NCAA for $10.8 billion which come out to be $771 million a year (Horrow & Swatek, 2011). Turner broadcasting has also been able to leverage its partnership with CBS and show games on its networks: TNT, TBS, TruTV providing a wide range of opportunities for fans and spectators across the country to catch their favorite teams playing in the tournament. Furthermore, with advancements in technology and social media having such a strong presence in today’s society, the tournament was able to make its debut stream on Facebook in 2012 while also being streamed on other various websites (Buss, 2012). The NCAA Tournament has provided an amazing opportunities for a diverse group of companies to promote their products or services to a just as, if not more, diverse audience. Some of the groups that have made the decision to invest in marketing and advertising with the NCAA Tournament over the years include: Buick, UPS, Coca-Cola, Powerade, Dove, and Domino’s. As opposed to other events, the NCAA Tournament has a strong following and support from proud college alumni – which bodes well for companies such as Buick that are targeting individuals 55+ years of age. However, other companies such as Enterprise Rent-A-Car are targeting college-age students preparing to graduate by launching a campaign in 2012 showcasing former collegiate athletes now working at Enterprise. Being one of the largest college graduate recruiting companies out there, the NCAA Tournament proved to be a perfect setting to recruit future college graduates to their company (Buss, 2012). With the ever-growing popularity of the tournament and of participating in “bracketology”, many companies have chosen the tournament as an avenue to try and place their products amongst the “in crowd”. The tournament is not only an amazing sporting event, but one that has become part of mainstream culture where individuals that aren’t even interested in college basketball are participating in filling out brackets because it’s cool. But for many companies, this is the type of boost they need while trying to market their products as something “cool” or popular (Buss, 2012).
Future Challenges of the NCAA Tournament It is difficult to pinpoint a big challenge that the NCAA Tournament will face in the future. Even with a currently unstable economy, the tournament has weathered the storms and continued to bring positive revenues and more viewers year after year (Hiestand, 2012). The NCAA Tournament has established itself as a part of mainstream US culture, which will continue to have a large fan and spectator base year after year. However, with the unpredictable nature of the tournament, one can only fear a drop in viewer ratings if and once a higher seed team is beat out of the tournament. Die-hard basketball fans will continue to watch the tournament, but for many, once their bracket is ruined – they return back to everyday work just as normal. This is a challenge the tournament will have to face year after year and unless the tournament changes to a different format, it is hard to say that it will be a challenge that will ever go away.
Conclusion
The NCAA Tournament is an event that has evolved a lot over the past 70 years continuing to adapt to technological advancements, a bad economy, and various other changes. It has established itself as one of the largest sporting events for advertisers and for fans and spectators nationwide. The tournament’s unique ability to bring a diverse audience to the table makes it a marketing dream for many companies. Its “Cinderella” stories are able to pull at the heartstrings of non-basketball fans, while its hardcore matchups between top teams are able to bring fans and alumni to the edge of their seats. There are events throughout the year that sports fans look forward to, but the month of March can be matched by no other. Having made a name for itself in the sports world, the NCAA Tournament has no plan to slow down in the future and for many years to come, fans nationwide and even around the world can look forward to catching the “madness” come every spring.

References
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The history of March Madness. Retrieved from http://www.todayspicks.net/handicapping- information/history-of-march-madness.php