They’re playing college basketball on an aircraft carrier tonight, and it will always be funny. As an Australian teen once said to my family, after we asked why her continent lacks sugar in its whipped cream, “It sounds delightful, but so unnecessary.” College basketball games on aircraft carriers are very much things where you can (we think—there have been issues with moisture on the court in the past, pointing towards aircraft carriers being more boats than islands, in case that’s a debate), but they aren’t necessarily things where you should. Not that you shouldn’t, either, it’s just…delightful. And unnecessary.
In a strange twist, Veterans Day brings this more clearly into the light. Ostensibly, Gonzaga is playing Michigan State on an aircraft carrier this evening to honor veterans. But while it certainly will draw more attention to the sacrifices members of the armed forces make, it’s not about the veterans. It’s about a Friday night TV slot in early November, right when basketball fans start casting their eyes around for marquee nonconference matchups. This is the sporting equivalent of a Veterans Day promotion at a mattress store. It’s just good business.
Coaches are often salespeople, but men’s college basketball coaches are the salesiest. Coaching—X’s and O’s and locker room chemistry coaching—is part of the sport, but a large share is recruiting. Larger, one could argue, than in any other sport, especially at the top end, where a dozen players every season are merely one year away from playing in the NBA. Seniors in high school are more finished products as basketball players than they are as quarterbacks. College basketball is about selling.
So, it makes sense that Tom Izzo and Mark Few, two of the most effective salesmen in the game, said to one another, “You think we could get a game onto an aircraft carrier again?” or at least licked their chops when ESPN called them up. There’s nothing wrong with it—there’s plenty right with it, it’s great to celebrate veterans—but it’s a sales tactic, and it’s a good one. Exposure is a big deal in college basketball. Gonzaga and Michigan State are getting it.
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Tonight’s viewing schedule, second screen rotation in italics:
College Basketball (the best assortment we can offer, though there are more games that could prove noteworthy)
- 5:00 PM EST: UAB vs. Toledo (Barstool TV)
- 6:30 PM EST: Gonzaga vs. Michigan State (ESPN)
- 7:00 PM EST: Villanova @ Temple (ESPNU)
- 7:30 PM EST: Wisconsin vs. Stanford (FS1)
- 8:00 PM EST: Liberty @ Alabama (ESPN+)
- 10:30 PM EST: BYU @ San Diego State (MWN)
College Football (of note)
- 8:30 PM EST: Colorado @ USC (FS1)
