Thursday, March 26, 2015

Why I Love March Madness

I was eleven years old, and my sister and I were having one of those little/big sister moments that she probably forgot the next day, but being the little sister, I remembered*. She was advising me on my upcoming adolescence and emphasized the flirtatious advantage of taking interest in sports, March Madness in particular. It seemed to work for her, and growing up under my father, I was no stranger to the competitive field. I was glued to the couch that March, watching Mateen Cleaves lead Tom Izzo's Spartans to a national title, arguing with the seventh grade boys as to why Izzo was a better coach than Krzyzewski and why my bracket was technically superior.

Here I am, fifteen years later, alone on my couch, staying up past my bedtime to see if Xavier will pull off the upset against Arizona. Though it began as a means to complement my extreme baseball knowledge and make me more appealing to the middle school jocks, the tourney continues to define each March, and I still argue Izzo* is a better coach than Krzyzewski. Though this has yet to land a guy, the sport does provide a lot of scrumptious eye candy, especially on the latest addition to my pad, a 55 inch HD Samsung. I believe I am at the ideal age to justify an admiration of both the athletes and the coaches without feeling inappropriate - except for Kentucky, because I know every player is eighteen. And Rick Pitino, because HD is not doing his complexion any favors.

From sneaking to catch the final seconds of a 5-12 upset in our math teacher's office to skipping college coursework to taking particularly long lunches and working from a sports bar, those clutch hours revolve around the next key matchup for the basketball faithful*. Why is that?

Of course it's about money. That's why the Big East has shriveled to a memory of its former glory, I see Reese's logos everywhere on the screen - which could explain why I am currently eating chocolate - and the days of the live look-in are a thing of the past. But for the players, it's not about the money. No contracts are on the line. It's about the dance.

It's bodies on the floor. Athletes throwing themselves with reckless abandon, seizing the hope of one more victory, one more game. It's disregard for fear and denial of doubt. Raw, unadulterated passion. And yes, the chiseled biceps.

It's linked arms lining the bench. They're playing for each other, and for most, this will be the greatest stage.

The floor is unforgiving, though, and ultimately, 98.3% of those young men will lose. Yet on selection Sunday, teams don't shrivel when they are announced an opportunity to win. These guys believe they can win, become the Cinderella team, have the undefeated season, make history. They play with that belief, and in the hundreds of games I have watched, I have yet to see a team go down without a fight.

When they do go down, the agony of defeat is all to real, from the weeping players to the stoic coaches to the fan resorting to the fetal position. I wager if you ask any of those athletes if they would rather have been watching on a 55 inch HD Samsung, each would say no.

As a fan, the spirit of March Madness represents an attitude you want to see in the world, in others, in yourself. A desire to commit to a goal, work tirelessly for it, be willing to dive for it, recognize failure as finite and experience as eternal, and walk away from the floor knowing you were part of the dance.


* Older sisters: your little sisters take everything you say as gold for a certain period. Do with that what you will.
* I mean, come on, every one of the man's graduating seniors has been to a Final Four.
* As a side note, as one of my Presidential campaign points, I would propose we take away Martin Luther King Day and President's Day as government holidays and instead, give workers the first two days of the tourney as holiday. After all, we can remember these fine gentlemen and their contributions any day, but you can only see Duke lose to Lehigh live once. Plus, I am quite sure productivity on those days is below average. Don't worry, those of you unaware of the tournament's greatness, this will 1) give you a chance to become aware and 2) give you two days off in March, which is great because the drought of government holidays between February and May is harsh. Everyone wins. You're welcome.

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