MTV versus "March Madness"
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First off, I’d like to apologize to the readership base here for the bluntness of my last thread, “Andrew Wiggins: the next human experience?!”
If you tear apart that post you’ll find it filled with heavy statements concerning the present state of college basketball. Statements like, “winning remains a subset of entertainment” and “Wiggins has the potential to be one of the best entertainers of all times” and “it’s a game held together not by the scores, but by the highlight reels” put a big knot in the stomachs of many who read it.
I’m not sure my post today will help those readers alleviate the gas bubbles I feel responsible for creating yesterday. For all those in pain, I suggest pausing at this point and make a little visit to your toilet. You’ll need to clear out some space, because today I’m going to substantiate my earlier claims, and the reasoning I bring to this post may put your stomach into a Mount Vesuvius reenactment.
The game of basketball is on the move. You would expect the movement to occur on the court. The movement in basketball is happening off the court. The game is transforming. MTV is taking over the game of basketball. Yes… I’ll say it again… MTV is taking over the game of basketball. Take a moment now and retrieve a bucket and place it near your screen. You are going to need it soon.
I’m going to skip back to yesterday’s post again and pull out the one statement that should put this all into perspective - “The bottom dollar always comes out on top.” Repeat that statement in your mind, over and over, while massaging your temples. Is it sinking in yet? Do you now feel the connection of your nauseated stomach with your throat? Has it reached your mouth yet?
Everyone in here watches basketball on TV. Many of you only watch college basketball and have your reasons for not watching the NBA, where all the top players play. My only viewership of the NBA is the playoffs… and even then, I’ll usually sit it out until it is down to 4 teams. What is my reason for blacking out 99% of NBA games? Redundancy. The seasons are too long, the players play with too much consistency. There isn’t enough variety in the game. And maybe the biggest reason for sitting out most of the season: the players I love to watch have left the game. There are no players in the league capable of playing the game at a level where a play can go above the game of basketball into the zone of raising what any human has done before.
By now you may be wondering… what does this have to do with MTV? MTV has impacted our existence perhaps more than any other thing in the history of mankind. You heard me right. I could go broader and say it is TV that has impacted us even more, but that wouldn’t be accurate. The biggest change happened after 1981, when MTV was born. In the early days of MTV, it’s popularity grew fast, almost as fast as the flickering of the screen, a by-product of rapid camera movements, scene changes, pulsing lights, all set to a music backdrop. In the early days, it was less about the music and more about the visual allurement. Viewers quickly became addicted to the rapid (rabid) visual movement. The world would never be the same again. TV and film executives quickly adapted to this new narcotic. The “long shot” was over. Film scenes shortened and camera men who had earned their reputations for having a steady hand were suddenly told to come drunk to work. Motionless television had ended and with our new “constant motion” world came problems. Addicted viewers started showing side effects. Mental and nerve disease was on the incline. A new term was born: ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Over time it was necessary to adjust this term to ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Most of the world became infected because most of the world is plugged into television. The younger generation has been hit hardest. The over-stimulation of visuals brought on impairment during their developmental years that now appears will last a lifetime. The youth of today can only be satisfied with instant gratification.
Executives from all areas of the sports business chain realized long ago that sports would have to adapt to the changing times. Sports production would require more camera angles, and adding motion with cameras also helped keep viewers from clicking away to programs with more movement. The race was on. Other complexities were added to win viewers. Sports had to become more than just the sporting event. Sports had to tell a story. Sports needed to add drama into the mix. Sports has to combine personal aspects of the players… some kind of drama to help pull in more people. And last, sports has to offer the “human experience” of reaching further, where no man has gone before.
I’m not a young fella. I’ve watched the world change before my eyes. I’ve experienced dealing with youth and their struggles to slow down and execute. I struggle along side youth as they find it impossible to slow down and pay attention. A big part of my love for basketball lies in the details of the game; pick and roll, ball screens, positioning for rebounds, weak side help on defense… execution, execution, execution! I’ve watched basketball with young people, and they are often sleeping through the game until a highlight-style play occurs. They need the added drama to help keep their attention in the game. The visuals are still too slow. Even though basketball production has changed in leaps and bounds over the past 30 years, it is still too slow to make it without help!
Young viewers need all the recent additives to the game in order to stay focused on basketball. My definition of young here is perhaps 0 - 35 or so… baby boomers of the “MTV generation.”
Andrew Wiggins may score something like $200m for endorsing a shoe company. Sounds insane, right? But it is chicken change for the revenue Andrew Wiggins could bring to the game of basketball. Here is a link to NBA Nielsen ratings -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association_Nielsen_ratings
If you read through the various years you will find a relationship of viewership popularity with the top “human experience” players. For example, basketball today would not be near it’s current popularity if a player like Michael Jordan had never been born. In this case, stats don’t lie. “The bottom dollar always comes out on top.” Maybe I have to constantly copy/paste that into this post.
Andrew Wiggins represents the hope that a new commercial messiah has been born in the game of basketball. If he brings his through-the-legs slam to the big stage $100s of billions will be created from it! (is your bucket close?) No one can deny the impact another Michael Jordan will bring to the game. Tens of thousands of jobs will be created if Andrew can bring some alpha-dog to the game and show the world the next great “human experience.”
All of us old “Xs and Os” fans will have to bite the big one and go along for the ride. We can’t stop the momentum of change. MTV has won. The game of basketball is ruled by the entertainment dollar. Sports marketing execs will let us know when the rule change comes and college basketball players are allowed 6 fouls. If you don’t believe me, then flip on the television and watch a college game today. The new rule interpretations were not put in place to preserve the game we have all grown up with and adored. The changes were put in place to adapt to “MTV standards.” The changes were put in place to create more offense, more scoring, in hopes that viewers won’t change the channel. You can believe me or not, but I have 15 years experience working in sports post-production in another sport, and my company was governed by marketing entities that were affixed on “MTV standards.” I’ve been watching the changes come for the past 20 years.
Now that you’ve probably filled your standby bucket… let’s find some happy ground to end this on. Within the next 10 years we will see gigantic leaps in basketball event productions. With the increase in media dollars comes an expansion in event production budgets. That means more cameras and new technologies for capturing the moment. I have to admit I love the backboard cameras. I love to see some replays angled through a lens up by the goal. It brings a new element to the game. We are going to see this area expand. Who doesn’t love the improvement of high-definition? Surround sound quality is coming to college basketball soon. Last month I jumped from a 58" high-def plasma to a 60". Not much of a change, but 3 years ago, when I bought my 58" I paid an arm and a leg and had about the biggest screen possible. My latest purchase set me back less than $800. It’s a compromise purchase until what I really want comes out and is affordable.
MTV owns college basketball. Now that the shock is over, and your bucket has been dumped, you might as well embrace the change. And while you are at it, forget comparing Andrew Wiggins with LeBron James. If Andrew reaches his potential, he will far exceed the impact LeBron had on the game of basketball. Believe it or not, it doesn’t really matter, change will come regardless. Focus in on a 10 yr old watching television and ask yourself if he would rather watch Andrew Wiggins or LeBron James?
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I’ve found myself watching football games and wishing they had been edited down to about one hour of action and reaction. The 3-3.5hr marathon that s football doesn’t fit into a busy day at all. Basketball with all the stops in action to shoot free throws is almost as bad. I have never been bored watching KU play before this season, but the non-stop calls are ruining basketball.
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I agree… but the “geniuses” that pushed for the change believe players will learn to back off the ball and let shooters score. And if that happens, the game will speed up again… maybe even to the point of having less fouls than before the change. What incentive do players have now for trying to play tough defense? The best defense possible won’t stop any scorer today who realizes he can drop his head and shoulder and play fullback on the defense and be rewarded with FTs.
The ruling body is focused on a game with more “instant gratification” so viewers will stick around longer. The absurdity of it all and the risk they have taken should indicate to us just how big this is, and how greed has impacted the game.
This is all about money… and for people believing the BS spouted from Jay Bilas praising the changes as “freeing the shooter” should consider a vacation home in Alligator Alley. A big part of the game was stripped away because marketing execs sold it to those governing the sport. That’s what happened. Believe it or not!
Who was complaining about the way the game was played last year? Who was complaining about watching Travis Releford locking down on opposing team’s best offensive weapon? That guy was lucky he graduated when he did because he couldn’t last 5 minutes in a game today. His tough defense would be rewarded with a constant whistle.
I definitely didn’t complain about Travis’ awesome defense. I played competitive ball and my game was all about defense. I was never a scoring whiz kid. My game was defense and rebounding. To see it thrown away for some media dollars has totally brought me to my knees!
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I loved watching Bill Self coached teams figure out defense. How many games out of the last 100 or so (before this season) had KU held its opponent under 40% shooting? Will KU be allowed to play lock-down defense again come conference time? Will KU keep more than the occasional opponent under 40% shooting? Another question is the lack of defense as much about youth and inexperience as the rule changes? Will a younger team adapt quicker? All these and more burning questions are rattling around in my skull waiting for the season to answer them!
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drgnslayr - that was absolute word vomit and pretty far off point. Yes, the way we ingest media has an effect on how the game is played and marketed but ascribing that to MTV is absolutely ridiculous. The only thing MTV had to do with what we’re seeing today is by starting the trend to turn athletes into pop culture. Claiming MTV created fast paced entertainment that fostered ADHD and led to the current media process is not only insensitive but downright stupid.
Basketball is marketing to the masses. Everyone knows that. If you want to read a book instead of making outlandish assumptions try reading “Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism”. It shows a fantastic correlation to world globalization and how Michael Jordan and Nike essentially fostered that. Corporations using sports as their medium and internet as their avenue started this marketing trend. It wasn’t MTV - they simply showed their commercials on it.
We are part of the internet generation. Highlights were always around, they are simply accessible now. It’s the natural progression of media and marketing that has us where we are. If anything this “highlight” phenomenon can be ascribed to USA Today or the idea (that was correct) that people don’t want long, developing news articles - they want their news quickly. USA Today turned to CNN which Turned to CNNonline which turned to Twitter.
Lastly - and this is the most important part. ESPN WAS FOUNDED IN 1979 AND WAS AN ENTIRE NETWORK DEDICATED TO SPORTS. IT WAS GOING TO LIVE OR DIE BY MARKETING HIGHLIGHTS. THEY LITERALLY HAD A DAILY SHOW CALLED SPORTSCENTER. There is no way to say this without sounding rude but, if you are going to talk highlights and marketing, sports icons and money, and NOT mention ESPN and its revolutionary effect on sports then I simply cannot listen to a word you have to say on the subject.
There is my word vomit.
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While sitting high on my perch, I sensed a breach in civility. I swoop in for closer inspection. Sure enough - there has been a slight disturbance in our fledgling chatroom’s etiquette.
While the thoughts posted by @iowajayhawk2005 have thoughts and ideas worthy of consideration, unfortunately the tone falls short of our standards here. Please reconsider the use of phrases such as “word vomit” to describe other posters (and your own) original thoughts and ideas. “There is no way to say this without sounding rude” - Wrong, and don’t sell yourself short! I’m sure you can voice your opinion in a civil and respectful way. In fact, I insist upon it.
That stuff is acceptable at kusports.com… but not here.
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I am all for keeping it civil. If we’re going to do that let’s stop ascribing genuine learning disabilities to MTV.
Also - and I’m saying this for the good of all your sanity. Stop being so hurt and using this site as a big “I told you so” to kusports.com. The self pity and loathing is one reason I can’t check this site more often. Regardless of their reasons or motives, what’s done is done, and if you want to use this site as your avenue to talk Jayhawk basketball then that’s great and very much welcome. But if I can’t call a stupid idea stupid and point out the GLARING weakness’s in an argument what’s the point? Is this just a big hug fest?
I agree with most of the things drgnslyr has said on this site but if I can’t make a quip about his manifesto that referenced vomiting throughout the entire thing then I think your opinions are dumb as well. It seems to me - based on your argument - that if I simply hadn’t put “there is no way to say this without sounding rude…” and simply said it then I would be fine.
Don’t censor me. Thanks.
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Please don’t censor him. I wasn’t offended, he didn’t start the vomiting!
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No censoring here. Just an effort to avoid the traps other sites fall into with name calling and mean-spirited comments. But when its all said and done, you can lead a Jayhawk to civil waters but you can’t make them drink…
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@dragnslayr When I read your first post I thought of Jabate and now even more so. I’ve lived about as long as you and see the same progression. Pretty soon there won’t be any one left who remembers pre MTV era.
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Hell no, don’t censor anyone!
iowajayhawk has every right to challenge a fringe post like mine.
My perspective is different on it because I spent years having to please people that constantly pushed the pace of my post-production work. Sometimes we would put the visuals to the test by putting music to the work and making it like a MTV clip. I suffered through years of having a producer stand behind me, snapping his fingers in rapid succession, wanting me to make it go faster while all I wanted was a good night’s sleep!
MTV isn’t what it once was, but a decade or so ago it was constantly referenced in my business for how media products were made. I created this thread based on my experiences starting in the 90s.
I definitely thought of introducing ESPN to my post, but it had become too long as it is. Definitely worth adding to the conversation, but I’m winded on this and could use someone else’s input on how they feel ESPN has influenced the game.
Iowajayhawk… maybe you can tell us your thoughts on ESPN’s influence?
Holy cow… am I becoming the next Jaybate? This one may compare to the length of his posts… but I don’t have the creativity Jaybate had!
“Claiming MTV created fast paced entertainment that fostered ADHD and led to the current media process is not only insensitive but downright stupid.”
I don’t think that part of my post was fringe. The subject seem to hit a nerve with you and I apologize if talking about ADHD hits too close to home. I’m not the only one connecting these dots. One source I refer to is:
Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Guidebook for Parents and Teachers - By Association for Youth, Children and Natural Psychology.
I’m also seeing the impact of fast-moving media on my own child. He’s 4-months old and if he catches the TV in his view he glues to the screen. If he watches more than a few minutes he goes through definite behavioral changes; becomes irritable, gives us less focus and will not easily go to sleep for quite some time. We noticed the connection immediately, and we try to keep him away from a TV screen.
I’m an old dog. I can still be entertained by old black-and-white movies. My wife is a generation below me. She can’t stand to watch anything that doesn’t move quickly. Old movies use “long shots” and have limited visual shifting. She can not keep her attention on these films, even on good suspense films.
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Just a different take, we’re all on the same team.
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My opinions can be abbreviated. Here is my position:
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Increasing game visual stimulation - I’m fine with that… much of it I really like, for example, adding new angles to the game, HD and surround sound.
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Anointing a new King of Basketball - I’m fine with Andrew Wiggins making several hundred million to dribble a basketball. He can be on every single magazine cover in the world. That’s more his business, and less mine. Go for it, Andrew!
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Changing the game of basketball so big business can roll in more money - No way! Leave our game alone, or at least, try to keep the game in the spirit of the game that got it where it is today. Feel free to design a new game to run along side our game that is strictly designed for market potential. How about tackle basketball? Or basketball played on a 94 ft trampoline court? I could care less, but stop jacking our game to make another buck! End this rule interpretation garbage and bring back lockdown defense!
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This post is deleted!
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@drgnslayr This sounds much better, agree w/u. I enjoy watching teams that D up.
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There’s one rule here, don’t be a jerk… and since being a jerk is in the eye of the beholder, and there aren’t any offended beholders here, we’re straight right? This thread does seem a little far out there, its somewhat gloomy opinion, flavored with hyperbole and not really news or analysis, so that’s why I didn’t link on the front page.
I agree with the underlying point… the dimensions of the game we congregate here to talk about are in serious flux. Most notably, rule changes. What other major sport is experiencing such sweeping rule changes year after year? In regards to changes off the hardwood and their impact on the sport, it seems much more subjective. It doesn’t really bother me as much as it does some others I guess… It is what it is.
However, whether we perceive these changes to be good, bad, or irrelevant, I’ll offer that… “Let’s enjoy the moment” because basketball IS the sport of the RIGHT NOW. It is why we play “One shining moment” for the champion – ultimate victory is one shining moment amongst a torrent of moments that do all sorts of things besides shine…
It’s why .8 seconds on the clock, behind < 3 is still enough time, no matter where you are inbounding on the court, to get a shot off and change the outcome of a game.
We live for the precious, fleeting moments of this sport. Maybe we can appreciate this nature in a larger context. Enjoy our Self, enjoy our Decade of Dominance, enjoy the farcical good vs. evil paradigm we’ve constructed with Self vs Calipari and what this represents in the here and now of the sport, and what it makes us feel to be brothers in arms cheering on the ones we consider the good guys, as silly or as very real as it may be.
Enjoy it fellas. “This is our year!” And as long as we can make that wild claim, with some glimmer of certainty that we may actually be right, and this may in fact be our year… The magic still courses through our tv sets, our message boards, our newspapers, radios, or other media forms of our choice… It still makes us dream, and imagine the possibilities. Let’s enjoy it fellas. It’s still pretty awesome, isn’t it?
(EDIT: And even when the possibility of a title isn’t remotely in the cards, which luckily hasn’t been the case in a long time for KU basketball, there is still a reason to cheer, of course. This just is the extremely fortunate position we find ourselves in: Rock Chalk Championship? )
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Nice, approx!
I may have offended some people. I threw out terms like ADHD and I may have been insensitive, especially if someone is dealing with that issue. I have a first cousin who seems to suffer with it to the point where he can’t operate a car. He can’t keep himself together enough to stay employed. His entire life is a struggle. It’s not only been tough for him, but his entire family. And many people rush to judgment and accuse him of negative things that aren’t fair.
If anyone in here is dealing with a situation like this… I apologize and hope you forgive me. I definitely don’t want to attack anyone facing this issue.
IowaJayhawk is awesome in my books! I like when people push back hard. My post isn’t written in stone. It should be challenged. It is only a cluster of ideas. I don’t own them… I’m renting them! I can always be persuaded to change and disagree with what I said earlier. I’m a good man if I stand up for what I believe, and a better man if I’m willing to accept something new! So don’t back down now, IowaJayhawk!
I’m pretty sure most of us are adults in here. So let’s do our best to act like adults, and part of that is handling some push back with grace.
I’m just anxious as all heck to see another game! I want to know if Embiid can stay out of foul trouble long enough to obtain 10 blocks in a half! And I want to see our boy Andrew spank the critics and make them the fools for questioning what he can do.
Let’s play ball!
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@drgnslayr … If I programmed our TV’s for only Turner Classic Movies my wife would be happy.
