It's A Midwest Thing

I've spent over 7 years in Madison, Wisconsin and one of the many things that sticks out at me in my daily routine is a complete absence of the NBA in this region of the U.S. Unlike the Green Bay Packers or the Milwaukee Brewers (who just hired Oakland's finest in Ken Macha to manage), the Milwaukee Bucks are an afterthought in the athletic viewing ladder of Wisconsin. From top to bottom, this is how our state rolls... 1. Green Bay Packers 2. UW Badgers Football 3. Milwaukee Brewers 4. UW Badgers Basketball 5. Marquette Basketball 6. UW Badgers Hockey 7. Chicago Cubs (lots of these nutjobs walking around) 8. Milwaukee Bucks

Does this shock me in the least anymore? I'd have to argue that after 7 years of this hierarchy, you tend to get used to the manner in which sports are viewed in the Midwest. I have about 3 friends that pay very close attention to the NBA, none of whom I've seen in a few years. A few will dabble in the sport, understanding player flow and slight intricacies of the game. If I am to ever talk sports with folks in this area in light conversation and happen to land on the topic of the NBA, I often receive one of two remarks. "Oh?" accompanied with a quizzical look. Or, "I hate the NBA, those guys are overpaid and they don't play hard at all. I only watch college basketball."

For readers of this blog, you are probably familiar with my musings on the NBA vs. College debate and how I am a firm believe in the former. Look back to our first month of existence if you are looking for detailed reasons, but I can sum it up for you in that an 82 game schedule takes much more of a toll on the body and that the effortlessness of NBA players is part of the beauty of why we watch. They look like they aren't trying when in actuality, their supremely fit bodies (in comparison to college players) are firing on all cylinders. Grade A efficiency and brute athleticism are my main points but their our other aspects of the game that cause me to tune into Bill Walton and Mike Breen over Dicky V. and Brad Nessler. Again, just look back in our blog archives.

My theory on why mid-westerners can't stand the NBA lies in the leagues celebration of the individual. Out here, its always about the team. What can this team do to get better and win a championship? The swing offense employed by UW Basketball is a perfect example of killing the individual spirit of potential stars and turning them into one cog of an extensive basketball machine. It's a region that loves watching UW Football teams meticulously grind out every possession with a heavy dose of brute force running games. Big corn fed boys leading the way for an even bigger hog of a running back. Brat in one hand, Miller Lite in the other, the true Midwestern way. You could argue that Brett Favre was a 12 year individual celebration but I look at it as if the folks here believed he exemplified the ultimate TEAM player and just rolled with that.

The moral of this story is that I'm not going to be winning over the hearts of my Midwestern brethren anytime soon with my love of a league whose top players frequent the wrong parts of the sports section, or have a higher tattoo to empty skin ratio than field goal percentage. It's a lost cause. So tonight, as I sit down for the first time in a while to relax and watch a full slate of NBA games, I'll take pleasure in knowing that I am the only one doing so in a 200 mile radius.