Author: Adam Greenhouse
The drama. The passion. The upsets. The face paint. The buzzer-beaters. The Cinderellas. The bracket. Oh, the bracket. March has arrived, and the Madness makes it one of the best months of the year.
Aside from the Superbowl, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is the most watched sporting event in the United States. March causes the most “sick-days” of any month by students and workers who cannot tear their eyes away from the tournament. My elementary school principal, a former player for Duke University, used to cancel classes so students and faculty could watch Duke’s games. At Oxy’s baseball game last Saturday, the announcer provided March Madness updates between innings. CBS’s website features every single tournament game on demand, so fans will not miss a single dribble, rebound, or shot. The tournament absolutely infatuates this country.
March Madness offers everyone the opportunity to approach nothing short of obsession. All fans, from the body-painters to the casual observers have the chance to root for their school, root against their rival, or root for that surprise underdog Cinderella team. Last year, tournament followers fell in love with 11th seeded George Mason University on its trip to the Final Four. This unknown underdog beat the third-seeded University of North Carolina and top seeded University of Connecticut on a buzzer-beater before losing to eventual national champion Florida University in the semifinals. Not a single “expert” predicted George Mason’s run to the Final Four, but Dick Vitale bellowed many “Yeah baby’s!” along the way. Dubious bracket shake-ups add to the March Madness’ magic.
The on-court drama of the games grips fans for many reasons, but the most popular method of connecting to the tournament is by joining a pool. Millions of people fill out a bracket before the Madness begins every year. They play for bragging rights among friends and coworkers, and (if it weren’t illegal) they would surely gamble and play for money. Facebook.com has joined in the March Madness, perpetuating the trend of everyday fans, followers, or people who know little about the game participating. The amount of members in Facebook’s largest March Madness pool is 196, 437. Facebook is offering a cash prize to the winner, and there are countless other websites, offices, and organizations that create pools as well. The vastness of March Madness pools is almost immeasurable.
Oxy itself has two pools on Facebook named, “Oxy Pool” and “Occidental,” but hundreds of students are currently involved in pools run by fraternities on campus, sports teams, or other organizations. Many students filled out more than one bracket. At the end of the tournament, all Facebook members will be able to see the winner with the best bracket within the Occidental network.
As the tournament flies by, many of your picks may prove to be inaccurate. Luckily, March Madness arrives every year. Just as all 64 tournament teams have the hope of winning it all, the glimmering dream of the perfect bracket will always be there. But, if you find you created that perfect bracket when the national champion is crowned on April 2, do not hesitate to brag.
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