North Carolina fan creates petition to overturn NCAA title game

We live in a country that, while flawed in some ways, gives us some many fundamental freedoms that allow us to live our lives in ways that those in other parts of the world cannot imagine.

If you take these freedoms for granted, please don’t. They are wonderful things, and they have been fought/earned over many painful periods of history.

When the first amendment states that “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech,” it protects all sorts of speech, not just speech with which we agree. This is fundamental and should not be forgotten.

All that said: I don’t believe that a single drop of blood was ever shed on American soil specifically so that in 2016, a North Carolina basketball fan could create a petition to overturn Villanova’s thrilling 77-74 victory in Monday’s national title game because of what amounts to a universal gripe expressed by every fan of every team in every game: poor officiating.

But it is protected nonetheless. Athlon Sports found a Change.org petition started by someone named Michael Kline that is intended to be delivered to the NCAA and reads as follows (with more than 1,000 supporters as of 2:15 p.m. Thursday):

This game was poorly officiated from the tip off to the end. It was a one sided called game all the way through. The officials called fouls against UNC that should have not been called and never called Villanova for the fouls they committed. The officials never called Villanova for multiple travel violations either. Also I want a complete investigation into the officials as it was them that decided the game not who played better.

On the one hand, good for Kline. This is democracy in action (sort of) in that it’s a grassroots call to action.

On the other hand, c’mon.

There is one twisted part of me that would love to see the NCAA take this matter seriously and actually — somehow — decide to overturn the championship game … only to possibly take it back from UNC once again when all the sanctions from the academic scandal are finally revealed. North Carolina already delayed that inevitability last August, keeping the hopes of a national title alive this season.

Sorry, UNC fans, if you don’t like that last part. Just exercising my freedom over here.