I don't know when I fully bought back into March Madness, and when I say bought back in I don't mean as a sporting spectacle, or a gauntlet of a tournament, but as one of the most entertaining spectacles in America. What I mean more is it is a perfect event to gather a country together, to make people take off work, to drink during the day, to going out late in the night. Any bar, any restaurant, in every city that has at least one TV will have it on. I watched parts of March Madness games from myriad locations these last few days, from an empty cubicle in a corner of an empty room, a bar in my home-town, multiple establishments in New York, and even two different apartments. No matter where, the games were on, and the energy was palpable. The more I realized, the more it made sense, March Madness is our country's World Cup, but we get to do it every year.
In reality it all makes sense. Given the largesse of the bracket, millions have some personal connection and deep rooting interest in one of the teams in the tournament, a connection that seems more familial than sporting. Even for those that don't, picking a team based on mascots, or size (David vs. Goliath) is all part of the fun. The tournament is a quick burst of energy, an excuse to care about sports during the day to give a reason for needing to skip work or school. Even like the World Cup, the most fun is the earlier rounds, when games are on all day, and when it winnows down to the Final 4, and actual sporting interests start to take more prominence, its effect gets lessened.
March Madness does a better job, regardless of whether TV ratings actually bear this out or not, of making people care about sports. The bracket such a perfect invention, the probabilities so outrageous that it allows people who know nothing do as well as those who follow the sport day in and day out for the four preceding months. I have a few close friends that not only went to schools that had reasonable to good basketball programs, but cared about the sport to follow the recruiting trail to breaking down each teams strengths and weaknesses. But they don't do any better in the brackets than I or anyone else does.
Yesterday coupled as St. Patrick's Day, so the day-drinking and "merriment" was anyway turned up to inconsciable levels in New York, but still every bar had the games on, easily switching back and forth between CBS, TNT and TBS to where each game was. The best part is as always, it's there more for background but at the end, if its a close game, and there's drama, which there always is, the game takes over. Yesterday's crazy Michigan game with an off-balance three at the gun to win was astonishing. The day before, with UMBC's incredible blowout of top seed Virginia, was enthralling even in a bar that was full of Syracuse fans cheering on their team's close win. Sports really can bring people together more than any other public entertainment experience.
This first weekend of March Madness is just a joyous celebration in every way. Games start at 12 and end at 1AM. Because of the high volume, there always seems to be 3-5 great games each day, especially in the first two days when there's always 4 games going on simultaneously and even if one is bad one of the other three will be great.
As said, the biggest, and ultimately best, difference between the World Cup and March Madness is one is each year, and the other is one in four. People may claim that there is value in the World Cup's scarcity, but in this case I disagree. Having March Madness each year almost adds to its appeal. It allows it to be less about the basketball and more about the fun, the annual explosion of sports, parties, revelry and fun.
In reality it all makes sense. Given the largesse of the bracket, millions have some personal connection and deep rooting interest in one of the teams in the tournament, a connection that seems more familial than sporting. Even for those that don't, picking a team based on mascots, or size (David vs. Goliath) is all part of the fun. The tournament is a quick burst of energy, an excuse to care about sports during the day to give a reason for needing to skip work or school. Even like the World Cup, the most fun is the earlier rounds, when games are on all day, and when it winnows down to the Final 4, and actual sporting interests start to take more prominence, its effect gets lessened.
March Madness does a better job, regardless of whether TV ratings actually bear this out or not, of making people care about sports. The bracket such a perfect invention, the probabilities so outrageous that it allows people who know nothing do as well as those who follow the sport day in and day out for the four preceding months. I have a few close friends that not only went to schools that had reasonable to good basketball programs, but cared about the sport to follow the recruiting trail to breaking down each teams strengths and weaknesses. But they don't do any better in the brackets than I or anyone else does.
Yesterday coupled as St. Patrick's Day, so the day-drinking and "merriment" was anyway turned up to inconsciable levels in New York, but still every bar had the games on, easily switching back and forth between CBS, TNT and TBS to where each game was. The best part is as always, it's there more for background but at the end, if its a close game, and there's drama, which there always is, the game takes over. Yesterday's crazy Michigan game with an off-balance three at the gun to win was astonishing. The day before, with UMBC's incredible blowout of top seed Virginia, was enthralling even in a bar that was full of Syracuse fans cheering on their team's close win. Sports really can bring people together more than any other public entertainment experience.
This first weekend of March Madness is just a joyous celebration in every way. Games start at 12 and end at 1AM. Because of the high volume, there always seems to be 3-5 great games each day, especially in the first two days when there's always 4 games going on simultaneously and even if one is bad one of the other three will be great.
As said, the biggest, and ultimately best, difference between the World Cup and March Madness is one is each year, and the other is one in four. People may claim that there is value in the World Cup's scarcity, but in this case I disagree. Having March Madness each year almost adds to its appeal. It allows it to be less about the basketball and more about the fun, the annual explosion of sports, parties, revelry and fun.
