I ask myself that question every year when I hear that this infamous time in College Basketball is approaching. Growing up with two brothers in a very sport- loving family, I have come to appreciate the casual basketball game on television, even following some teams that my family likes. But March Madness? I don’t think I have ever really understood it.
Every year, all Division I NCAA college men’s and women’s basketball teams compete for the ultimate title of being the best team in the country. The equivalent to this would be the NBA Championship, but on a much smaller scale with college students instead of professional athletes. Even then, March Madness seems to gather much more popularity than what goes on in the professional world.
With COVID altering lives and normal activity, it was unclear if the championship games would still take place. However, NCAA announced in January that the infamous month of games will continue to take place, but all of the men’s games will be played in Indiana, and all of the women’s games will be played in Texas, so each team can quarantine appropriately. The season will officially start on Thursday March 18th, with the selection of games happening on Sunday March 14th. The tournament concludes on April 5th, where the winner of this NCAA tournament will be crowned the best college basketball team in the country.
As brackets get drafted and bets get made, it still seems obscure that so much hype is put into a college basketball tournament. I remember in Middle School when my sixth-grade science teacher had us all create our own brackets and every day, we would see who was still in the tournament (I chose Ohio State to win purely because I liked their logo. They did not make it very far at all).
For the entire month of March, people get to relive their college days and watch game after game, hoping for the underdog team to take it all. Maybe that is why it is dubbed “the best month in college basketball”. It gives people the chance to root for kids in college, playing the sport because they love it and not because they are getting paid millions of dollars. It’s the month that seemingly unites people from all over the country and allows for the love of sports to shine through.
When the inevitable is still happening, it is a comforting feeling knowing that for at least thirty days, attention is focused on the simplicity of basketball instead of politics or the pandemic. I guess that is why it is such an important time of the year, because it is simply a fun activity to partake in for the sole purpose of watching athletes have fun. So be sure to make your bracket and may the best team win!