Boise State’s March Madness: Financial Impact, Fan Reactions Revealed

Boise State basketball will attempt to win a game in this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The tournament is big money for the networks, the schools, and the various sports waging platforms worldwide. 

Offices around the country are filled with brackets, brackets, and more brackets as workers try to predict who will make it to the Final Four and the entire tournament. ESPN's Bracketology was so popular last night that they had over five million entrants after only a few hours of announcing the teams.

Boise State fans took to social media and other online forums to express their disgust with the Broncos being selected as one of the last four teams to make the field of sixty-eight. The Broncos will have to play in the play-in game against Colorado, with the winner getting Florida on Friday night.

The regular season saw Boise State fans selling out their home court, Extra Mile Arena. College basketball is an elite sport, but like everything in life, it's big business. The more successful the team, the more fans will attend the games, allowing the program to make more money. A money-making college basketball team can help the university draw out-of-state students who want to be a part of a big-time sports program. Unlike college football, the costs for basketball are not excessive. 

Boise State Basketball has an opportunity to showcase the team and bring more attention and revenue to the Boise area. The team needs to win three games to make the Final Four. A birth in the Final Four affords the team unprecedented exposure. 

A trip to the Final Four won't transform Boise State from a football school to a basketball school. However, a good run in the tournament could prepare Boise State for a prospective move to a bigger, more lucrative conference. Will the team step up?