Sometimes, the universe provides.
We usually send out the ‘L’ of the Week on Mondays but honestly, as Sunday evening came, nothing really jumped out.
We could have piled on the Kansas City Chiefs for not making the playoffs, but considering that Patrick Mahomes destroyed his knee in the process, handing the ‘L’ to the Chiefs just seemed cruel.
We could have added to those poking fun at the Indianapolis Colts for turning to 44-year-old grandpa Phillip Rivers at quarterback, but Rivers played well enough considering the rust, and gave his extremely large family another five years of coverage under the NFL health care policy in the process. We also could have shamed the Seahawks for almost losing to a 44-year-old grandpa.
Or we could have given the ‘L’ to the New York Mets after they lost their star closer and their all-time franchise home run leader in free agency, without even offering the latter a contract.
None of them felt quite right.
And then, on Monday, emerging from the constant din of daytime sports talk, the universe brought us Joel Klatt, who went full on elitist and anti-fun when comparing the postseasons in college football and college basketball.
“In fact, hot take, I mean like the hottest of all takes that I’ve ever had in my entire life, the NCAA basketball tournament is a joke,” Klatt said during an appearance on a podcast called The Next Round. “It’s the dumbest tournament and the least fair tournament in all of sports. We go, and we put teams at odd times on neutral sites in a one-game affair. That doesn’t crown a true champion. We’re not doing anything that tells us who’s the best team over the course of the entire season.”
First off, Joel Klatt, how dare you?
And secondly… How. Dare. You.
Who dumps on the NCAA Tournament, which is one of the most anticipated and most entertaining events in all of sports? The chaos, the madness, the upsets … all of that is part of what makes the tournament unique.
We suspect Klatt may have just been doing this for attention. It’s not common for someone to give an opinion they truly believe in, but also preface it with what a hot take it’s going to be.
Then again, Klatt is the same knucklehead who has defended Michigan football multiple times over its sign-stealing scandal, so maybe we should consider the source?
Klatt has been getting deservedly slagged all over the Internet since his remarks, so he can add this ‘L’ to the pile.
‘L’ Of The Week Archive
Oct. 20-26: Mississippi State football
Oct. 27-Nov. 2: Carson Beck
Nov. 10-16: That Texas state trooper from the A&M-South Carolina game
Nov. 24-30: The University of Arkansas
Dec. 1-7: Virginia football