The Presidential elections are approaching, but what’s even closer is March Madness. For the majority, the national elections will outweigh the college basketball tournaments held under the NCAA. However, Charles Barkley has different priorities right now. Despite being a political enthusiast himself, Barkley has expressed he is more excited for the March Madness than the ongoing campaigns of Democrats and Republicans.

Charles was recently on a podcast episode with Ernie Johnson. Ernie stated how the college games are coming up all over the place for which Charles showed some real enthusiasm in his voice. There was also a brief discussion on the ‘March Madness’ starting next week. “Nothing can screw up March madness. Democrat and Republican can’t even screw up March madness. It’s just such a great event,” stated Charles. Notably, the Presidential elections are to be held in November this year, the campaigning for which has already started.

It is worth mentioning that it is not as if the 11x All Star lacks interest in politics. In fact, Charles Barkley has been quite vocal about his political opinions on multiple occasions. It was only in October last year that the ex-NBA star expressed his views on Donal Trump and Joe Biden’s rematch. He was asked about his opinion by Chris Wallace in an episode of ‘Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace?‘

“I don’t feel good about a rematch,” Barkley said. “Number one, I don’t think President Trump represents a statesman, civility, things like that. And I think President Biden is too old. I don’t feel really good about either one of them,” he added. But as one has said, you can take the player out of the game but not the game out of the player. So, Barkley’s bias towards March Madness over the battle between the Republican Party and Democratic Party is quite understandable.

A closer look into March Madness and Charles Barkley’s connection with the event

March Madness is a single elimination NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. The tournament crowns the national champion of college basketball. The event gets its name after this environment of high stakes and pressure featuring 68 teams.

Read More: “I Bet That Hurt Him Inside”: Charles Barkley’s March Madness’ Pick Leaves the TNT Crew and Fans Equally Confused

And Barkley is a well-known analyst for TNT’s coverage of March Madness, which explains his excitement for the grand event. However, it is not just entertainment and humor for the ex-Phoenix Suns’ star. In fact, Barkley has also been critical of the NCAA and March Madness, particularly concerning player compensation and the exploitation of student-athletes.

During last year’s event, Barkley did not hesitate in throwing harsh criticism at college basketball. “The college game is a travesty and disgrace,” Barkley said during an interview with ‘60 Minutes‘. “I’m so mad now about how we can mess up something so beautiful. We can’t pay all these players,” he said. The comments were a hint towards his disliking of the NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) benefits.

The excitement for the event and at the same time to criticize the flaws he feels are existing show how seriously Charles Barkley takes this period of March Madness.

Read More: “Michael Jordan Ain’t Walking”: Charles Barkley’s March Madness Fever Results In Bulls’ Slander Despite Chicago’s Play-In Status