Bring on the Madness

Let me see.... Highlighter? Check. Brackets? Check. Wings and beer? Check and check. It's March Madness. 65 teams fighting for the National Championship. The best part? Single elimination. Anyone can win a game. One game can change the course of the tournament. If a 14 seed knocks off a 3 seed - something that should not happen - the tournament is changed.

Drama. The NCAA centers around drama from the one game. The last second shots, the underdog's run, the improbable happening before your very eyes. This can draw the casual viewer in. It makes it human. These are kids. 18 - 22 year old kids. Trying to deal with pressure. Trying to raise their game. Trying to pull of what people say cannot be done. But if you are in, you have a chance.

Then there are the brackets. Everyone has a bracket. The reason? It gives you a personal interest in every game. It gives you someone to root for. You may have not seen Pacific play a single game, but if you pick them in an upset, you are invested in the game, and root for them as if they were your Alma Mater. And if your Alma Mater is in the tourny... all the better.

In college, we would take a class off and watch all day. My older brother still takes time on the first 2 days to watch the game. Unfortunately I have to work. But I will sneak a peek at the internet and pull my brackets out from under my other documents and highlight my wins and cross out my losses. Picking a winner or even a round correctly is almost as hard as winning the lottery. I mean you can tell who is more talented; who is taller; who has the best shooting percentage. But you cannot see from any web page, or newspaper, the intangibles: hustle, desire, heart. Some teams take a team lighty and get shocked. Some teams get nervous. It's facinating.

The unpredictablility of sport is what makes it so wonderful. So kick back, turn on the TV (or 2 or 3) and enjoy.