You can't be angry at her, can you? I mean, sure, she over-sings and seems to be in love with herself...but really, that's what she's paid copious monies to do. Fresh off losing a lot of weight and maybe having some work done, she looks good...but not as good as this tournament looked.
But, Jennifer Hudson didn't hire herself, produce the song, direct the video and make sure that she was in it more than Gordon Hayward or Jon Scheyer. But Mark Grant, who's been around too long to mess something up like this did just that.
I really have no clue why people fidget with things that work really well...But I tend to do the same thing and kick myself square in the ass afterward.
I run a MacBook Pro...great computer, or at least it used to be. I'm not a live or die by any type of computer guy, so this isn't about that. But, I decided to upgrade the operating system about 9 months ago...to make it better. Ever since my upgrade, my once-reliable workhorse has become a demon-infested piece of excrement. I had to tweak it though...had to pick at it.
Mr. Grant, you've turned one of my favorite parts of the tournament into a steaming pile of dung.
Instead of the "One Shining Moment" building from the first games to the finals and the greatest plays and iconic images getting the focus, we got to see Jennifer Hudson's mug...over and over and over.
As Purdue fans, I'm sure most of us thought Kramer had earned a spot into the song...at the very least, the "Blue Tongue Shot" would have made it in...but it didn't. Instead, we saw Grant's shoulder and ear and a cute little Boilermaker for a total of about .5 seconds. Great work.
But it's not about Purdue, it's about everybody else. I don't remember seeing Ohio on the video...if I did, they made it forgettable. I don't remember seeing all of the Big East heroics (sorry bad example). But I think you get my drift. This song wasn't about basketball...wasn't about the tournament. It was about pop culture and wrecking a beautiful thing.
And it's about to happen on a much greater scale.
Just as Grant & Company added goofy sparkles and sunburst effects a few years ago as the ball flew through the air, people were annoyed, but allowed it. In the same way, the tournament committee implemented the ill-conceived, poorly-executed pod system. Which has pretty much translated to Purdue going as far West as possible each year.
And this year, as they completely broke the institution of the great post-tournament song, the NCAA is about to do the same by implementing a 96-team mega bracket for no other reason than to try to get richer on an already beautifully-efficient, awesomely-entertaining product.
Everybody gets into the tourney- My wife, my son, big fans, casual fans. Filling out a bracket is fun, watching the first weekend is an American holiday. But adding in another round of mid-week games and another 32 teams is in NOBODY'S best interest.
We saw this year why the NCAA's basketball tournament operating system doesn't need an update. It fricking works. Upsets don't happen everytime...but they happen a lot. Not all #1 seeds get through, and that's why you watch...and not everybody needs to participate. This is why this thing is special.
Illinois and Virginia Tech both probably should have been in this season...but they didn't do enough. It happens. So they'll get in, but they're not the problem. UNC is. They were awful...but do you think if the selection committee had a chance to reward a mother like the Carolina Blue for their crappy, barely-over .500 season, they wouldn't? Remember, this is the same organization that's about to ruin a great thing get a few extra shekels...and ticket-generating programs=dough.
So, let's stop all of this junk before it goes to far.
Mark Grant, have Ms. Hudson re-record the song without so many riffs for '11...and leave the video camera at the arena this time. And whomever becomes the next director of the NCAA, show some forethought and leave this tournament as it is. Your inconsistency between football and basketball is laughable...but if you do this, you have no other argument other than money, in both sports. And when it happens, just be transparent and change the name of the whole operation to the NCAARG (Nat'l. Col. Assoc. of Athletics for Rev. Gen.). It'll be the only thing to do at that point.