"What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?"

I suspect that there were millions of people last night who, like me, felt their hearts break when that buzzer went off and Butler had lost to Duke in the NCAA Championship Game. Millions of broken hearts around the world...who came together on this night to become Butler fans for a variety of reasons.

Many people were caught up in the magic of a Mid-Major university trying to knock off the powerhouse Duke from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Mid-Majors just don't play in Championship games. They are the Cinderellas who bow out in the Sweet Sixteen and occasionally in the Elite Eight. A Mid-Major has about as much chance of getting to the Final Four as I do of finding a mushroom this spring (I don't hunt mushrooms, nor do I eat them).

True Butler fans were following their team all year and became enthralled with the unbelievable opportunity afforded them on this special night. These fans sort of knew just how good their team was, but even then with a few of the fans, there had to be some lingering doubts about a game against mighty Duke for the National Championship.

For me, I was in the group who just loved to watch them play. Basketball for me over the years has become a huge disappointment. This was a game that I truly loved to play and to watch when I was young. Watching it now has become a laborious process and in some cases unbelievably sickening. However, watching Butler play the game brings back so many memories of how much I enjoyed the game.

Today, for the most part, basketball has become a stage for egotistical athletes who could never comprehend, in their wildest dreams, what the word "team" really means. It was necessary, because of television ratings, that the NBA created a show and took away the game. Along the way, the rules were changed to allow "superstars" to manufacture moves that would thrill the crowd and fill a SportsCenter highlight reel. It was no longer a matter of fans appreciating teamwork and a well battled contest. The fans became completely satisfied with individual heroics conducted in ways which were previously illegal. What used to be a wonderful game, became a stage for rich, chest pumping egomaniacs who sought nothing more than individual accolades. Sadly, this migrated on down to the college level and destroyed the game.

I am amazed at the way people now fawn over some ballplayer who picks up the ball and carries it in order to make a move around a defender. This was illegal in the game of basketball until ESPN took over and demanded a show instead of a game. I'm not sure that these ballplayers even understand how silly they look by using this advantage. It is not the game that I played and watched as a kid, it has become professional wrestling with a ball.

Just a few short years ago I started watching Butler and the "Butler Way". I began to see some of what made me appreciate the game so many years ago. The individual showmanship doesn't take to the stage with the Bulldogs, they fight as a team in a heated contest and with a tenacity that is so admirable that it recalls vivid memories of what was good in the game.

This broken heart will long remember the resolute purpose shown by this team of young men and always feel a deep emptiness because they came so precariously close to realizing their dream. However, I rejoice in their effort and look forward to watching the Bulldogs try again next year and hopefully for many years to come.

"It is sad to wonder what might have been, but not near as sad as to never have tried." -- Ol' Simmons