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Joel Klatt Calls March Madness 'A Joke,' Urges Group-Stage Overhaul

He told The Next Round podcast that legal and financial pressures drive inclusion in postseason fields rather than a search for Cinderella teams.

Overview

  • Klatt labeled the NCAA men's basketball tournament the "dumbest" and "least fair" event in sports, arguing it fails to crown the season's best team.
  • He proposed replacing the 68-team single-elimination bracket with group stages featuring multiple games hosted by higher seeds.
  • The Fox Sports analyst said such a format would curb one-game upsets and eliminate traditional Cinderella runs that fuel March Madness lore.
  • Extending his view to football, Klatt argued Group of Five participation in the College Football Playoff exists primarily to avoid antitrust litigation.
  • He dismissed broadcast performance as a defense of the current model and reiterated a preference for top teams meeting late in the postseason; his remarks were reported by Awful Announcing, ClutchPoints, and Breitbart.