This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UGA chapter.
What is March Madness, you might ask? For those of you who don’t know, it’s the few weeks in sports where college basketball’s play-offs take the spotlight. The tournament consumes March, and for die-hard fans, there’s nothing else in the world than a strong bracket, Cinderella stories, and the national championship game at the end of the month. It is the reason you hear every guy counting on wins for some “bracket” as if his life depends on it and their explanation for checking scores constantly as their Sportscenter ringtone goes off about ten times a day. So if they’re so into it, why shouldn’t you be? Take a look at our top five reasons you should let these last games of March Madness engross you too.
- The Bracket. Before March Madness begins, thousands of people fill out their own personal bracket predicting exactly how they believe the tournament will progress. This year, $1 billion was offered for a perfect bracket. Now if you haven’t already made one, it’s a little late, but don’t worry, there’s still next year! This year, still feel free to gamble on who you want for the championship game and cheer them on like you have been the entire season. (Your choices are between Kentucky, UConn, Florida, and Wisconsin.)
- The Cinderella Stories. In the 2014 March Madness, there have been all kinds of upsets, from Mercer taking down Duke (Coach K’s basketball powerhouse) and Dayton upsetting Ohio State, Syracuse, and Stanford. If anything, the Cinderella stories get our hearts pumping and adrenaline moving. We all love an underdog, and March Madness supplies its share of come back wins and unfathomable upsets.
- The Fans. Most fans think they know more about the game than the team actually playing the sport. So when they can’t give the coach their personal input on the beach, instead, they do their best to mercilessly haze the other team and the referees while relentlessly cheering for their own school. At Dayton this year, 28 fans were arrested after their huge Stanford defeat. Not before, however, they could poke a little fun at the referees during the game…
- The Boys. Not only do the boys look great running up and down the court, dunking, and making plays, they look even better celebrating together. They revert back to twelve year old children in AAU travel basketball when they believed they had just pulled off the win of a lifetime. Except now, in college, the stakes have reached an entirely new level that sparks hugs, tears, affection, you name it. And if the refreshing nostalgia doesn’t get you watching…who doesn’t love a boy in a uniform?
- The Inspiration. Many of us have seen the great sports movies: Remember the Titans (how could you miss out on that soundtrack?), We are Marshall (a tearjerker), and The Blindside (Academy Award winner)…March Madness supplies the stories for the next big sports movies. So instead of watching the film-worthy stories after the fact, hearing the events second hand, be a part of history. So when the next story hits the big screen, you’ll already have tears in your eyes reminiscing on the days you watched it live.