Opinions: Madness? You ain't seen nothing yet

 by Mike Pelton
 published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Oh, the madness.

First, there was the unfortunate event of Western Kentucky hitting a miraculous shot to beat Drake, screwing my bracket over. Then, Georgetown decided to act like they've never played basketball before, which left me shaking my head in disgrace. My girlfriend could have picked more winners than I had. Both of these hurt me badly.

And then there's the madness here in Phoenix. In just a few days, the Valley of the Sun will host yet another major sporting event — the NCAA Men's Basketball West Region Finals. Due to this, the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 portion of the West fourth of the big bracket will be played at U.S. Airways Arena.

And yes, this hurts me too. Not only did the NCAA selection committee screw ASU over in not selecting us for the Big Dance, but now part of the tournament is scheduled to be played in our backyard. It reminds me of my smartass little brother who used to rub it in my face when he got McDonalds and I didn't.

Maybe, though, March Madness doesn't even do justice to the permanent madness Phoenix is becoming. First, Michael Crow announced he envisions ASU claiming enrollment of 100,000 students in the future. Then, Phoenix hosted the FBR Open, Super Bowl, and the NCAA Fiesta and Insight Bowls. Add that to the BCS National Championship game last year and the Suns' likely upcoming playoff series and we've got something to brag about — not to mention next year's NBA All-Star Game or the new downtown convention space that will draw thousands.

For years, Phoenix has urged people to believe our city is becoming one known for more than 374 degree weather and cacti. (By the way, any sporting event that is held in the Valley and nationally televised is accompanied by numerous shots of a cactus. Well, now the wish may be reality, because Phoenix is now willing to welcome any event it can into the Valley, citizens need to be ready for changes.

For starters, the growing concern of a terrorist attack. Our air-force base and nuclear power plant have been "targeted" for years, and now sporting events are popping up on terror alerts — namely, this year's Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games.

But should residents be scared? I don't believe so, as security has, seemingly at least, been top-notch at recent events in the Valley. However, as the area welcomes more events, celebrities and parties into the state, it needs to realize it is also welcoming a greater chance that something could happen.

Also, things may be growing too fast. Just ask any commuter who waits two hours on his way to Scottsdale on the gigantic, three-lane Loop 101 during rush hour.

And in a local news poll, almost 70 percent of residents said they were not happy about the Super Bowl being hosted here.

The Valley of the Sun is used to being a quieter place, not one that sees 50 Cent and Paris Hilton parading through town. Is this something we really want to change?

Just look at the lack of a downtown area and the poor reviews Phoenix received as the host city for the 2008 Super Bowl. It's not the people that are the problem. In fact, the people are trying to prevent the problem by voicing their opinion that Phoenix shouldn't be growing and hosting as quickly as it is. We at least need better highways, bigger attractions and more places to put people first.

So while the NCAA Tournament invades Phoenix over the next few days, just remember that this Madness is just a taste of things to come.

And for my bracket's sake, you should also hope that UCLA wins.

Mike is a broadcast journalism sophomore. He can be reached at: michael.pelton@asu.edu.