ICYMI: John Oliver Flunks the NCAA for its High-Revenue Hypocrisy of March Madness
Is March Madness not an extreme enough emotional state for you? Then let comedian John Oliver try to inspire some March outrage.
Just days before the 2015 NCAA Tournament tipped off, Oliver explored the lucrative and ludicrous aspects of the event over 20 profane minutes on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight.’’ As his takedowns are apt to do, the video went viral, racking up 2.5 million views this week.
From the “hungry nights’’ of former UConn star Shabazz Napier and the academic scandal at UNC to the television ad revenue generated by the tournament and the legal battle over using athletes’ liknesses in licensed video games, Oliver launched a multi-pronged offensive against the NCAA.
“‘Hunger Games’ should take place in a dystopian future not every March sponsored by Coca-Cola on CBS,’’ Oliver said after showing a clip of Napier’s famous 2014 interview. “The NCAA insists that student athletes cannot be paid because they’re amatuers. And though they’ve slightly softened their rules about food among other things in the past year, they still exercise a ridiculous amount of control over players.’’
WARNING: Video contains explicit language
[fragment number=0]
[fragment number=1]
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com