No one can still answer why Canadians should care about American college sports.
Do you think the Yankscum would care about our university sports?
no. americans don't watch canadian university sports - and generally, neither do Canadians..
no slight on our athletes or our system it's just the u.s. sports system is far superior.
its night and day and its basically a professional system and now athletes are being paid on top of their full schkirshios - some in the millions over college career.
We in Canada watch it because it's hern highly televised, pronoted and marketed as much as any sport by tge U.S. networks fir decades and its covered and packaged fir TV at an incredibly high level. Many choose watchuvf u.s. college foitballand basketball ahead of the NFL and NBA.
Canadians simply picked up on this decades ago by watching u.s. networks
it landed on our laps and we like it too...as there is often no better sporting option on a Saturday afternoon - or a Tuesday night fir that matter - and certainly nothing comparable in a Canadian televised sports event.
Canadian passion for it only grew and it is as big as ever today for fans of u.s. college hoops living in canada - let alone for Americans.
Its the next best thing ti the highest professional quality yet more passionate more fun. they play less games with more passion and intensity and the fans make it more exciting g(football and basketball)
Their crowds are massive and lively. It's an event in the stands...with full marching bands in the stands playing constantly acrobatic cheerleaders mascots and rabid college kids and old timers too.
Crowds of 90 and 100 thousand are connon in each week in some football stadiums 19 of the top 20 capacity stadiums in the world are u.s. colleage football stadiums.
The NCAA college basketball Final Four is played in a football stadium.
even women's basketball crowds are huge...and they had a 100 thousand for a college hockey game in Ann Arbour Michigan.
watching such events as Canadians is the same reason we imght watch British soccer leagues. its the best and far better than we have with dynamic crowds and and now social media groupie to be involved in(not my thing as i simply watch randomly now but its a huge community for many.)
Many of us up here get caught up on it at a young age and grew up watching u.s. college sports for many of the above reasons.
some dreaming of a u.s. scholarship and others simply dreaming more Canadians making it to U.S. college basketball and college football teams south of the border.
if there was a guy on the bench from Canada way back when it made us proud.
now after Amerucans there are more Canadians competing there than from any other country.
Canadians playing or not... people watch for the above reasons because the quality and spectacle backed by the promotion and marketing machine behind it that lures us in
and people gambled on it long before online betting.
We were also influenced by the only sports magazine worth reading - Sports Illustrated - as kids and as adults.
there was and is no Canadian equivalent.
The college stars of Basketball and Football graced the covers as much or more than the pros.
The top players were legendary- and future pros. Some were legendary in college - and still are - making themselves a houehold name among sports fans and yet didn't even make it to the pros
stars such as Larry Bird (Indiana state) and Magic Johnson (Michigan state) brought the college game to an even bigger level....and then to the NBA.
Until that game college basketball was far more popular than the NBA.
same with college football. the NFL started playing on Sunday because they couldn't compete with college football on Saturdays.
new years day bowl games were bigger than the super bowl at one time.
The NBA and NFL got huge (the NFL is a behemoth of sports television) yet college hoops and college football are still bigger than ever.
College football and college basketball are so huge in the states the excitement spilled into Canada and has continued to grow over decades.
watching a football game in texas stadium...or a basketball game at Duke is an experience like no other- so im told - but it definitely comes across when watching on TV.
Office pools are fun...long before onlime gambling and there are also die hard fans of hoops who know most all the top teams and top players. they follow it year round. and it's not just a few wack jobs in their parents basements.
its a thing!
Think of movies, comedians.. late night talk shows...singers rock bands..and popular TV shows past and present.
Do you choose only Canadian over American?
even though we have so many of our own to watch...we watch u.s. programming in these areas far more.
Our stars and directors etc made a huge influence in Hollywood after they went to the states to make their mark.
do we prefer King of Kensington reruns to Seinfeld.?
sports isn't much different in general.
I have always supported Canadians and Canadian culture and more than ever now but you have to look at facts and the choices and us. sports - and yes u.s. college sports plays a huge role in the Canadian sports fans viewing time and psyche.
Fact...More people in Canada are NOT into March madness than actually are.
It's not a majority of Canadians who are into it - yet you can say that about anything.
those who are watching u.s. college sports add up to a large and significant number
The same with NFL.
it's much bigger than CFL in canada and people argue over the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots...and the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks. ..and....the....more do than they do canadian teams. (except in Saskatchewan)
You may not like it or understand it or care - which is understandable and I don't disrespect that. you are among many - a majority - but at the sane time you can't deny NCAA basketball is popular or passionate among a huge group of people without any research perspective or knowing any facts...
...and then simply dump on it because it's not on your calendar or radar..
I don't watch or get the appeal of Drag Race or housewives of Orange county or soap operas...or bake off shows or top model...or top chef shows...
...but I know they're huge...and have a passionate following in canada...when most originate from other countries.
Again, t's not the majority of canadians into each of those shows but it's a huge and significant number.
We make great television movies and programs in canada just not on the same scale as in the u.s. or u.k.
We love sports and more often than not we we are drawn to the top level - the elite.
just as in so many other aspects of our culture.
College sports are not as elite as pro sports but the hype excitement and marketing around them - and the sheer passion is probably bigger and better and more enjoyable and more intriguing to so many
We don't have any college sport comparisons to the u.s. model.
not even in hockey.
I don't expect you to ever take an interest but I hope this helps answer yor question and helos you understand a little more of why a large number enjoy u.s. college sports here in Canada - and are passionate about it....
...and realize that it's a significant part for many in the Canadian sports fans' landscape.
cheers
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