The 2015 NCAA March Madness Tournament brackets were announced last Sunday, and once again, I really couldn’t care less.

I might care if my alma mater DePaul University made an appearance in the tourney. The DePaul Blue Demons have not been relevant since my grade school days. DePaul’s beautiful campus is on the near north side of Chicago, a world-class city. The university has an excellent academic reputation. Chicago-area high schools produce many top players. DePaul should be getting the best athletes, and the team should be doing well. Instead, it flounders.

The ripple effect of DePaul’s mediocrity is undeniable. The games are played in Rosemont, a western suburb. The Rosemont area businesses suffer because DePaul students (and Chicagoans in general) will not make the trip to see losing basketball. DePaul area restaurants also suffer for the same reason. Nobody even goes to the local sports bar to watch the Blue Demons on television.

The fan base doesn’t travel much, either. Even quick trips to Marquette, Butler, Xavier and others lack interest. As a kid, I looked forward to making these trips. During my DePaul years, we didn’t even consider the trips. The general sentiment was, “Why bother?” Coach Oliver Purnell just resigned. As a DePaul alum, a Chicago-area resident, a member of the travel industry and a former fan, I am begging DePaul to bring in a dynamic coach and to put the effort into restoring DePaul to prominence.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor