The Problem with Hoops

I really like basketball. But all the viewing options have serious problems.

College Hoops - I understand why people dig college hoops. But it has some major downfalls:

1. The regular season is fairly bland. You pretty much know the good teams will make it. Duke may be playing for a #1 seed, but it's not like any given win or loss really matters. Sure, they're an extreme example, but the same could be said for any team that has a legitimate shot at winning it all.

2. March Madness, while exciting, is mostly for people who enjoy the excitement for the excitement's sake. Or else for their gambling pool's sake. Point being, most people following March Madness aren't really focused on their team so much as a selection of teams they predicted in an office pool. I just can't root for sports that way. I have a few sports teams I like, and the SOLE purpose of me watching sports is hoping to celebrate those specific teams winning.

I prefer the NBA, admitedly because I have more positive memories of my NBA team than I do of my college team. But the NBA has major drawbacks also:

1. Teams that suck make the playoffs. You'll NEVER see the equivalent of a come-from-behind-down-the-stretch-MLB pennant race, because if you're decent, you're going to coast to the playoffs. If the NBA cut its playoff berths in half, it would immediately become 3X's more interesting.

2. The NBA is too superstar-centric. It's about having 5 random players you like, and it doesn't matter if those players play for 5 different teams.

That's why, even though I like hoops, I rarely watch it. There's not a compelling league to follow.