Let's say: things are strange. Things were strange. Photos of exactly what America is, or what it is, have never been more contested than ever before. The conversation needed to clear that photo has never been more difficult than ever to promote.
Perhaps this is why I find myself now, perhaps more than ever.
March Madness is in America.
It is deeply flawed.
The inherent drawback is that the majority of participants require significant doses of both skill and luck to overcome if they want to be known and respected nationally. For some, one night of unlucky night will completely undo four months' worth of effort and overwhelming success. With these programs, one failure led to an end mise, while others are allowed to fail four times more frequently, achieving the ultimate goal would be a drug that is impossible to swallow. It's not fair and never fair.
It also promotes magic and excitement above all else in the realm.
Earning the top university basketball award is highly unlikely for the majority of the 364 teams competing in Division-I. At least that's not impossible. At least the bottom-level net schools that have won conference tournaments will have the opportunity to prove themselves on the biggest stage of the sport. Not within the quarterly stadium against a team that doesn't really want to be there in a game of zero importance for all intents and purposes. When Oakland surprised Kentucky in the first round at least a year ago, the Grizzlies had the opportunity to build their story.
This is the way it should be. Certainly, some teams benefit from head start, while others deal with unfair advantages they may not have acquired, but at least no one is disqualified before the race begins (well, almost no one is, but we get to that). Everyone has a shot in creating memories of March.
I have an aunt who graduated from the University of Kentucky and is stubborn as a member of Big Brunation, as you've ever tried to find. In 2013, the Wildcats were relegated to the NIT, so she began reading the team in her hometown of Fort Myers. In the following weeks, the Florida Gulf Coast won the Atlantic Sun Tournament and then became the first 15 seed to advance from the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. “Dunk City” was my aunt wanted to talk about.
There are other things that March Madness can't claim to other major American sports. Everybody has a team, just the school you graduated from, the school you grew up in, or the school you're nearby.
All states in this country, other than Alaska, have at least one Division I basketball program. This means that almost every American has teams in a general area where they can support or assert themselves during the insanity of March. We are the species wired to connect, and perhaps as a direct result, we feel comfortable with the feeling that we are bringing this together. Certainly, on a variety of teams, but part of the same epic experience.
In the coming weeks, turning on TV (or Internet stream) almost anytime, will your sports theater be the best. Certainly, all these teams have the ultimate goal of winning their own conference championships and reaching the NCAA tournament, but there is even greater to be on the crisis.
In each of these games, at least some of the court players play to maintain their athletic careers. It survives and advances on multiple levels. When the buzzer sounds, you can wake up the next morning and see the joy and relief in the faces of the kids who can call college basketball players.
For next week and a half, we will be consistently attacked by dreamy, career-ending, win-losing meeting tournament action. All the elements that fully draw casual fans in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament are unique to all of the 32 conference tournaments taking place over the next two weeks. Simply put, it's a high drama that you can't find anywhere else.
It's exhilarating, cruel, rewarding and other. Let the madness wash over you.
Championship Week is the best, but only if you are properly educated. Thankfully, this guide is here to ensure that anyone who wants to experience the best possible madness can do so.
If your only interest in college basketball in March is Blue Blood and Power Conference, that's fine, but this isn't for you. Our time is almost here.
