March Madness heads to the Sweet 16 this weekend, with three ACC teams still in the hunt. Charlotte bars will be busy, office pools have exploded thanks to Kentucky and Stanford losing, and CBS is raking in some of its best ratings in years.
Next to the Super Bowl, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has become one of the most exciting sports events for fans: three weekends of multiple games on the air, and then the final. Advertisers love it, and so do the betting moguls in Las Vegas.
The Charlotte 49ers took another early exit from the dance this year, but the city still makes a mark on March Madness from the broadcast booth. Love him or hate him, Billy Packer tops the list as lead analyst for CBS Sports’ college hoops coverage. This is Packer’s 30th consecutive year covering the Final Four.
He never shies away from sharing his opinion, as proven by the mini-controversy with St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli. When Packer suggested that St. Joseph was undeserving of a number one seed, Martelli responded rather angrily, shall we say, calling Packer a “jackass.” Wonder if Packer (a Wake alum) will be assigned to the Wake Forest-St. Joe game this week?
Former Blue Devil Mike Gminksi is also analyzing games for CBS, and does regional ACC games. Dr. Jerry Punch, who does basketball or ESPN as well as racing assignments, also lives here. Rounding out the Charlotte connection is Jay Bilas, lawyer-by-day, analyst-by-weekend for ESPN, who is quickly getting a reputation for good preparation and research, and who’s not shy with an opinion, either.
Lest we forget: KISS-FM’s Ace & TJ’s “Grin Kids” celebrates five years. The non-profit sends terminally ill and handicapped kids and their families to Disney World, with over 80 children participating since 1999. Their next 727 planeload will go this October to Orlando.
WSOC-FM is officially denying charges by former morning sidekick Carrie Boggess in official papers filed with the US District Court. Boggess is suing morning man Jeff Roper, the station, and its parent companies, claiming intimidation and harassment.
Stay tuned.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2004.
