DALLAS — March Madness is one of sports’ most well-known terms. However, a starkly different and genuine form of March madness could affect the NCAA Championships.
Numerous reports indicate a war with Iraq could start next month. The men’s basketball tournament opens on March 18, and the women’s tournament starts on March 22.
Should the war start before or during the tournament, the possible consequences are varied and mind-boggling. For the past few months, NCAA officials have had numerous meetings to plan for as many situations as possible.
“We have talked through numerous reasonable and unreasonable scenarios,” said Greg Shaheen, managing director of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. “We’re trying to do the best we can to be prepared for any eventuality.”
The logistics of putting on both tournaments requires years of planning. Postponing and rescheduling any games would create a nightmarish tangle of problems.
The NCAA has existing procedures and plans that deal with delays and rescheduling. So, what kind of event or catastrophe would cause the NCAA to alter its schedule? And if so, what would happen?
“That falls in the category of hypothetical,” Shaheen said. “It would depend on the situation and how we think we need to react to it. With everything we’re looking at, flexibility is the key.”
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the government has designated certain events, such as the Super Bowl, as National Security Events. Such a designation brings federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to help with security. For National Security Events, the Secret Service is in charge of security measures and precautions.
CBS Sports president Sean McManus said if there are news developments worthy of coverage, the network might have to move its telecasts of men’s games to its affiliated cable networks. CBS is owned by Viacom, which also owns cable networks MTV, VH1 and TNN.