Welcome To March! Don’t Miss The Magic In All The Madness

Welcome to March! For many people they are starting to think about spring. It is just around the corner. But, before we get there, it’s March Madness time. The NCAA basketball tournament will be getting started in a few weeks. 

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Between now and then, leagues will wrap up the regular season and hold their conference tournaments. This is one of my favorite times of the year.  

Because I’ve broadcast high school and college basketball for a number of years, there’s nothing like the beginning of a conference tournament when every team there has the highest of expectations, and for so many teams, knowing that a loss ends their season. 

A google search says that 25% of American workers use vacation days, personal days, or sick days during the first weekend of the tournament which starts at noon on Thursday of that week.  

The data I came across said that last year alone, each game of the tournament brought just under ten million people to watch that game. 

There’s normally at least one, if not several “Cinderella” teams that get wins (these are teams from smaller conferences or that have bad records that beat teams they shouldn’t have). Also, there’s also many places that you can’t fill out a bracket to see if you can pick the national champion. 

Of course, there will be a lot of money wagered on these games as fans will be looking for a quick windfall that creates more money in their bank account.  

I’m someone who doesn’t gamble; I don’t bet on games or even play fantasy sports. Again, for years, my job was working with teams, and I wanted nothing to do with something that could potentially put my job in jeopardy.  

That fact, combined with my love for sports, I’ve been able to watch the tournament for what it was intended for, the potential for anything to happen, and you never know when another surprising thing was going to happen. 

So, with that said, I encourage you to not get caught up in the “madness” of betting on these games, even if you put money on the games. Look at this tournament from the standpoint of the potential for upsets, players to earn their spots in their school's history books, and of course the heartbreak of your team’s season ending.  

If you can find a way to savor the aforementioned aspects of the tournament, you’ll likely develop the deep appreciation for this time of year that I have. And you won’t have to worry about explaining to your significant other where the money from the bank account went.