The men of the NCAA college basketball championship could take a lesson from Tom Hanks. The tournament, which ended last week with Kentucky’s victory over Kansas, spawned more tears than every weekend showing of Titanic 3D put together. For three weeks, coaches and players choked back heavy sobs on the reg. Basketball is emotional? Who knew?
Well I did not. But until this year, I was not exactly a seasoned college basketball fan. I have always enthusiastically cheered for the Orange (yeah Syracuse yeah) but had never really immersed myself fully into the world of college basketball. Encouraged by fellow fans, this year I excitedly followed each game with bracket in hand. Mere hours into watching the tournament games, however, something felt very wrong. This, my friends, was March Sadness.
As much as I loved seeing ‘Cuse beat Kansas State, watching coach Frank Martin’s post-game interview was nothing short of heartbreaking. As the press asked Martin questions, he struggled, holding back tears in response to the ineligibility of player Jamar Samuels. Hey Frank, I can commiserate! Fab Melo could not play either, it sucked. Let’s get coffee, have a good cry and hug it out.
Later in the tournament, after their defeat against Baylor in the Sweet 16, Xavier coach Chris Mack lamented that he had never been in a locker room as “down as the one [he] just left.” (Insert sad faced emoticon here). The players to his left sat throughout the post game interview, heads low in defeat, eulogizing the days of victory. Even after Syracuse’s unfortunate loss, Jim Boeheim seemed to be tearful. Or was something just in his eye?
In the immediate seconds following the final buzzers, losing players pulled jerseys over their heads, taking in a few personal moments of sobbing. On the other side of the court, a team erupted in joy. I think that next year there should be regulations on the amount of time dedicated to celebrating and crying. Three minutes to cheers, two minutes to tears – just keep it fair, you know. Some of us fans cannot take the sensitivity involved in such heated game play.
Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Cohen argues that this year was no different than any other in terms of tears shed. Crying during March Madness is becoming more noticeable because of excessive media exposure. Chris Mack spoke of the upset locker room but since the dawn of defeat, there has always been an upset locker room. As long as there is a loser, there will be a place of crushed retreat. Only now that locker room is projected on camera quite frequently. It’s a sight for sore eyes but all is fair in love and basketball (I guess?).
When Scoop Jardine broke down after the Ohio State loss, it was more painful than the loss itself. It is difficult to watch 6 feet men with feet the size of a small dog cry away in pitiful defeat. At least it’s a nice reminder that they’re human. Nobody likes to lose and crying about it is not unordinary, just uncomfortable to watch for me at least. As basketball season has ended we shall have faith that next year the Orange come out on the other side with tears of joy not disappointment. We will someday land that coveted spot in center bracket. And if at first we don’t succeed, cry, cry again.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Syracuse chapter.