You might've heard rumors of an upcoming "big dance" circulating recently. There has been lots of chatter about this event on the Internet and in the papers — rumors abound about who will receive one of the 65 coveted invitations to this dance; talk has even focused on who will be the "Cinderella" of this year's iteration.
Of course, the NCAA Basketball Tournament is more serious than the strange metaphors associated with it might indicate, but for the first time, there is more than simple bracketological interest in the tournament on campus.
The UNC men's basketball team is currently seeded No. 2 in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, and will play Montana at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday at Ogden, Utah. Although the projection on CBSSports.com currently has tournament host Weber State moving forward, the Big Sky Championship is wide open, and the Bears have a fine chance of winning the tournament and bringing one of those invitations home.
What that means for the campus is sudden exposure worldwide to everyone who fills out a tournament bracket. Although the University of Northern Colorado would likely be ranked low, perhaps at 13 or 14 seed, it is those seeds that cause bracketologists nightmares. Calling the early upsets can make or break an office pool or Internet bracket competition. So, for a few days before the opening round games are played, a grand number of people will have considered UNC at least for an instant, and perhaps only on the merits of our basketball team.
Yet, this exposure is an unusual way of determining the value of an educational institution. More and more, universities are perceived by the success of their sports teams. Schools that perform well in athletic competitions receive more exposure on national television, and thus benefit in increased applications and enrollment.
It is not fair to say that this exposure is illegitimate or somehow wrong. Any positive media representation of UNC is good for the university's image. But the world of athletics is not always consistent or kind; a brief look at the record of the UNC football team since the transition to D-I is a representation of that fact. The rebranding of the university has thankfully not centered on athletic competition, rather it has embraced the excellent nature of our academic programs.
People will look at UNC because of our basketball team. They will remain enthralled with the university by the quality of our education.
— Forrest Bowlick is a senior geography major and a columnist for The Mirror.
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