The NFL is a monster.

Monstrous in size and popularity, obviously. You can’t turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper or go anywhere on the Internet without seeing something football-related. That’s the case now, and it’s February. It will be the same in March. And April. And forever.

Monstrous in that it cannot die. It’s too big to fail. They had to add seatbelts at the point when automobiles became so big, moved so fast, began crashing into each other and people started dying. The NFL has the same problem, but where do the seatbelts go?

And still, the show goes on.

Mostly, however, monstrous in that it’s wreaking havoc on the entire sports fandom enterprise. It’s football or bust. Every league’s following is nothing more than a pathetic fraction compared with the NFL’s following, so every non-football following is now labeled as “niche,” like it’s a special, exclusive club. That’s just not true.

College basketball has especially taken on this identity. You’ve certainly heard something along the lines of, “College hoops is too slow, too choppy,” or, “There’s no flow,” or, “No one cares until March Madness anyway.” No sport is perfect, not even football; and yes, the sport’s following increases during the postseason, as is the case with every sport. But that doesn’t mean it is a niche sport.

We’re only noticing this recent attack on college hoops because it’s currently in season. Every sport has garnered similar criticism.

Baseball is too slow. Tennis is too long. Hockey doesn’t have enough scoring. Soccer is boring. The NBA sucks. It’s not real basketball. It sucks. Everything sucks.

The only thing you hear about football, though, is that it’s too violent, and that’s only said because people don’t want to see the sport concuss its way into extinction.

Sports fandom nowadays carries the same dynamic as a college dorm. College basketball fandom lives at the end of the hall near the bathroom. On the other end is baseball fandom, which lives across from hockey and next to the NBA. In the middle of the hall is college football.

Everybody is friends with everybody — except NASCAR, which lives by the water fountain and pretty much keeps to himself — but smaller, tighter-knit cliques exist. That’s always the case with a large group, and everyone has his favorite factions. But the distinctions between friend and best friend go out the window when the hall heads to the hot bar down the street — the NFL. Everybody has that fandom in common. Even NASCAR shows up for a beer or two.

The point is that just because a sport isn’t as popular as the NFL does not mean that sport is a “niche” sport. It’s not better or worse, and you’re not any more special or unique or different or weird for liking the NHL. It’s its own damn thing.

Was the landscape always like this? Growing up, I had four favorite teams, each corresponding to a different season of the year. When a certain season rolled around, I loved a certain team. When the next season came, I moved onto the next team. 

Now, if I said I had four favorite teams, I would have to rank them. Just liking four sports without declaring one the biggest and best is unacceptable.

The venture hasn’t changed. All that’s different is the size of pro football. (The three most-watched television programs of all time were the past three Super Bowls.)

If the NFL went away, maybe we’d realize the other sports weren’t small — they just weren’t monstrous.

So enough with the niche, niche, niche. It’s derogatory — “Yes, he’s different. He likes college basketball.” — and ridiculous.

And please, tell me college basketball is a niche sport next month when the world shuts down for March Madness. I bet even you NFL-only fans will be tuned in.

Jack is a senior in LAS. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JCassidy10.