March Madness

I love the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, but I have no idea why. I guess it's because I'm a sports fan and I'm supposed to love it. I find that when I turn the games on I pay very little attention. It's as if I turn the TV on just for the noise. Mississippi State beat Oregon this evening in the first round and I actually sat through it. If that game was being played in January I wouldn't have spent 30 seconds watching it. The tournament has this weird way of drawing sports fans into watching something that they would give very little time to during the regular season.

I suppose it's similar to my interest in the NFL. I always liked football, but I've become much more interested the last five years due to playing fantasy football. I know that's silly, but it's true. I've gotten to know who many more NFL players are because I'm one of those goofballs who pays close attention to many games on Sunday because the players on "my team" are on multiple NFL teams. In addition, I have money riding on the success of those players.

That's where the correlation between the NFL and the NCAA tournament comes. So many of us fill out tournament brackets, choosing who we believe will win it all. Some people do it just for fun while others pay $5 or more to enter a tournament "pool" or "challenge." We all know that we put more interest into something when we put our money into it. Even if we don't though, we still have that inherent desire to win or be successful. I didn't spend any money on the tournament this year, but I did fill out two brackets and I certainly want to win as many games as possible. Why? I have no idea! It's just some silly thing to do that I got in the habit of doing many years ago.

It's nice to forget about the daily grind and the troubles that each day can bring. Things such as the NCAA basketball tournament do just that. Enjoy March Madness. Forget about work, family problems, politics, money, and everything else. Even if you aren't a basketball or sports fan, do it anyway. Watch these young men work their butts off while they chase their dream. It's fun to watch and, in a way, can lift your spirits.