College Basketball: Broadcasting the Games
One of the factors that have been integral to the success of the NCAA men"s basketball tournament is television coverage of the games. Regional broadcasts started in 1952. A national televised coverage of the championship game was aired for the first time in 1954. The championship game aired on network television for the first time on NBC in 1969. NBC was also instrumental in televising selected regional games. Soon, the NCAA formed its own production board, NCAA Productions, which broadcasted first and second round games to audiences the universities are from.ESPN first started broadcasting the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament in 1982. This established ESPN among fans of college basketball. ESPN, then as well as now had no regional affiliates, which meant that the entire country was shown the same game, while specific areas could view local games on a local channel, regardless of what was being broadcast on ESPN. As a result, ESPN televised the most competitive games, which was the best way to expand national appeal.
High school students who are talented in the game have a chance at furthering their education by playing college basketball. In exchange for playing in college teams, they get an academic scholarship and other financial help during their stay in that particular school. They apply for such during college basketball recruiting, where coaches test them to see if they are eligible to play in the school teams they represent.
The Internet has proven to be a useful venue for both students interested in college basketball, as well as coaches involved in the process of college basketball recruiting. There are many websites and online forums wherein students and scouts can come together and interact. D1Athletes is an online community wherein high school athletes and coaches alike can share and exchange information they need during college basketball recruiting. D1Athletes offers them a place to build an online presence and gain important public exposure.