The Saturday Column With No Name: 45 Years Later, The Miracle On Ice Still Matters, ESPN Said Good-Bye To MLB And Their Fans Years Ago Plus An Expanded NCAA Tournament Makes Less Sense Than Nearly Everything The NCAA Does

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Yep, it’s the Saturday column still in search of a name. Got any ideas, just post in the comments below! Now, on with the show.

1. Hard to believe it’s been 45 years since The “Miracle on Ice” and the United States upset of the Russians in the 1980 Olympics. It was more than a hockey game. That team helped all Americans feel better about the country and what was possible. If you’re not at least my age, it’s hard to understand why. As a country we were coming off a decade of the Vietnam War and associated protests, Richard Nixon resigning office and of the ongoing Iranian Hostage Crisis. To put it bluntly, Americans were beaten down. In the depths of winter though, the U.S. Hockey team gave Americans a moment in the sun that was desperately needed. 45 years later, I can still remember where I was when they showed, on tape-delay, that game against the Big Red Machine. I remember putting our American flag up on the house that weekend. It mattered. More than any sporting event in my lifetime. It mattered.
2. It was no shock to see ESPN move on from Major League Baseball this week after a 30-plus year relationship. ESPN, the wokest of the woke when it comes to sports media has abandoned the MLB demographic over the last decade plus. I watched it when they marginalized and then dropped NASCAR. They don’t want the folks who make up the fans of those sports. No room for Old White Dudes at ESPN these days. You can see it by their daily programming and how they ignore certain sports. You can see it by their investment in the NBA and NFL moving to a younger more urban demographic. Baseball just doesn’t fit in and teams will be better off creating their own regional deals and streaming partnerships. That’s where the people are anyways these days. That’s why we created Raiderland. We give your what you want, how you want to consume. Baseball wins on this deal.
3. Like y’all, we’ve heard the talk lately that the NCAA might expand the basketball tournament. Please. No. It’s fine the way it is. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Here in a few years the top four conferences will exit the NCAA basketball umbrella just like they will in football. They’ll stage their own tournament and make even more money than they do today. And with that, the NCAA will be dead. No tournament to raise money for the remaining membership means no reason to be a member of the NCAA. I give it six or seven years, tops. Money wins. Always.

Alright, thanks for jumping in on a Saturday. We’ll be with you Sunday for our 5 Things We Know column.

Hyatt