Magic is in the air. The bracket is out. The Big Dance, NCAA Division 1 Basketball Championship, March Madness is upon us. A time of buzzer beaters and bracket busters, cinderellas and stars, First Fours and Final Fours March Madness has a special place in the hearts of many sports fans, myself included. But I don’t just think it’s fun to watch, rather I think it is the greatest sporting event of all time and by the time you finish reading this, I hope that you do too.
Reason 1: Upsets, Upsets, and More Upsets!
Likely the main reason many hold this tournament close to their heart is because of the great upsets it can produce. Yes, I know that all leagues can have major upsets, but March Madness upsets are simply different. In no other tournament can a team of future NBA stars lose to a team of players who may never play competitively again. UMBC becoming the first 16 seed to beat a one by knocking off top seeded Virginia despite having an arena that fits almost 10,000 less people, FDU losing their conference championship only to advance to the tournament on a technicality and beating Purdue, Saint Peter’s beating Kentucky and making Doug Edert a household name, these are the moment that make March Madness special. Yes other sports have upsets, yes, March Madness upsets are simply different.
Reason 2: The Quest For Perfection
1 in 9.2 quintillion. This number means nothing to the ordinary person, but every true college basketball fan knows its significance. The number represents the odds of completing a perfect bracket, a feat that has never been done nor ever approached. Yet every year thousands and thousands of brackets are submitted, and every year thousands and thousands of brackets all falsely select at least one game by the end of day 2 of the tournament. There is something special about March Madness brackets. Whether a total diehard of the sport, or someone who has never watched a game, anyone can complete a bracket within 5 minutes. Some of my favorite memories have come making brackets. I love watching the Selection Show and planning it out, thinking about my selections before printing one out, tearing through the picks and angrily tearing it up by the tournament’s conclusion. March Madness brackets bring together fans of all ages, regions, and amount of fandom.
Reason 3: So Many Games, So Little Time
64 teams is a lot, and with 32 games on Thursday and Friday, the first two days of the tournament, it’s safe to say that there is no shortage of absurd, fun, chaos. Watching games whenever I can in class, to tracking scores in between classes, to rushing home from school to turn on my TV make up some of my favorite sports memories. With the abundance of games, there is never a dull moment. An 15 seed shocking a 2 seed, a halfcourt buzzer beater to win the game, a player never heard of before becoming a household name across the country is all a part of a typical Thursday during the Big Dance. With the abundance of games, excitement is a constant.
March Madness is the top of the top when it comes to sports tournaments in my opinion. The upsets, to the brackets, to the boatload of games simply places it out of reach from all other sporting events. When it comes to March, there is simply a sense of magic in the air.
