This. And I'm not sure what is so hard to understand about it.
It's not a pie. A bigger piece for another program doe snot mean a smaller piece for us. The stronger the league gets, driven by the individual strength of its programs, the better is it for everyone.
In 1985, when St. John's had the pieces to get to the Final Four, did that mean that everyone else had to sit back and watch and wait their turn, hoping that their day will come? Or did two other programs also have the pieces to get the Final Four? And what did the kids who were seniors in high school that spring think of it? Did they say, "Well, it looks like only St. John's, Villanova, and Georgetown are the places in the Big East worth going"? Or did they say, "Whoa, the Big East is legit. Maybe I can go to Seton Hall!"
Because that high school class of '85 was the kids who were college seniors in 1989. How did that work out?