Basketball in Indiana is cherished the way baseball is in St. Louis. It’s cultural. It’s spiritual. It’s serenity. It’s an identity. And as announced Monday, the state of Indiana will host every game in the 2021 NCAA Men’s Tournament, a turn-of-events that’s fitting and will give the tourney some pure allure.
Though this charm will be countered by the smarm.
Because never has the NCAA Tournament been more about making money than in 2021. The NCAA needs its unpaid student-athletes to survive this season of COVID and contact tracing and cancellations so the players can cash in … for everyone else.