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The landscape of these preseason tournaments has changed in the last couple of years and if it nows seems as if they are all on ESPN, it's because most of them are owned and operated by ESPN Regional, the WWLS, event marketing and syndication arm.  SI's Luke Winn has an excellent post up giving the history of how we got to where we are today and why it's so hard for you to find the Alaska Shootout, what was always one of my favorite tournaments (I don't sleep much so I'm a sucker for late night live sports).  

However, the most interesting nugget he threw into the post came at the end.  The NCAA may opt out of its 11-year, $6 billion contract with CBS to broadcast the men's basketball tournament by July 31, 2010.  Not coincidentally, the NCAA contract with ESPN for the preseason NIT expires on July 31, 2010.  I'm sure that the folks in Bristol are already hard at work trying to determine how much it's going to take to entice the NCAA to opt out of its CBS contract.  Since I'm confident that even if the NCAA opts out, the contract would give CBS first shot at renewal, the new contract number is going to be considerably north of $6 billion.  Should ESPN land March Madness to go along with the women's tournament, not only would it be one more road to the WWLS' goal of total domination of the sports world, but it would inflict upon the world,  likelihood of Dickie V calling the Final Four, a prospect so depressing not even Digger's ties could cheer me up.

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