Bill Raftery: Fans couldn’t care less about college basketball’s issues once game starts

College basketball fans will spend a season complaining about what NIL and the transfer portal have done to the product, but when the NCAA tournament rolls around, they start to view the sport the way Bill Raftery always does.

Raftery joined the latest episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast to discuss the NCAA men’s tournament and his iconic career as a college basketball announcer for CBS and Fox. And while it might be “onions” or his late-night drinking tales that fans are often most enamored with, it’s his desire to celebrate the sport that endears Raftery to his audience.

“People couldn’t care less when the game starts about the problems of the business as it relates to players and programs,” Raftery said on the Awful Announcing Podcast.

There’s often a tendency for veteran sports analysts to criticize the modern game for being different from their era. See Charles Barkley as Exhibit A. And in college basketball, commentators will frequently cite the transfer portal, NIL, or the quality of play as the sport’s eventual downfall.

“They put a new rule in, or some wrinkle each year. But whether you like the rule or not, it’s the rule. So, I don’t even like to harp on it,” Raftery said. “You can’t change it by your verbiage. And I think you gotta feel that way about everything. When the game starts, people want to watch the game…I don’t think they care at home that so and so’s got more money to spend than the other team.”

“You have no control as an announcer,” Raftery continued. “There are rules committees, and people provide their viewpoints, and a lot of it has to be straightened out, not questioned about it. But that’s for the studio. When you’re watching a game, people want to see their team or these two good teams and see who’s the better of the two. It’s a little more matter-of-fact, but I do think that’s the way the public feels about stuff. They don’t want to hear about major disasters. Sometimes you have to address things that are unattractive with a comment, but by and large, they’re still looking to watch the game.”

And after decades as one of the foremost voices in college basketball, it’s still his love of the game and product that continues to shine when Bill Raftery is on the call.

Listen to the full episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast featuring Bill Raftery by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. For more content, subscribe to AA’s YouTube page.