This March Madness tournament has seen some of the wildest games in college basketball in recent years. The upsets have busted many brackets across the nation.
Cinderella teams have captured the hearts of Americans throughout the tournament all the way through to the Final Four. These teams are the ones that busted each and every one of our brackets - Marshall, Syracuse, Kansas State, Loyola-Chicago, and of course 16 seed University of Maryland Baltimore County, which was the first 16 seed to beat a number one seed. Virginia’s fans hearts everywhere were broken that night.
Meanwhile, UMBC moved on to the second round but fell to the Kansas State Wildcats. All of this year’s games are a reminder to sports fans everywhere that March Madness is truly the best sporting spectacle in America.
All of these basketball games reminded me of a classic film that certainly applies to this year’s bracket especially. The 1986 sports classic “Hoosiers” is still a relevant film that teaches sports fans how to overcome adversity, especially if you’re the underdog. Despite being a 32-year-old movie, it still holds up very well and many hail it as the best sports movie ever made.
The story is timeless, as well as its characters. The acting is still some of the best in any movie. I watched this movie the night before the second round began in this year’s tournament and I was still impressed with the way “Hoosiers” has stood the test of time. It is the perfect movie to watch during March Madness, whether you’re a fan, player, coach, broadcaster, or an average moviegoer.
The movie is also relevant to a specific team in the state of Illinois who is in the Final Four for the first time since 1963, Loyola-Chicago.
The film takes place in rural Indiana in 1951. Gene Hackman plays Hickory High School’s new basketball head coach. The whole town loves their basketball and their connections to the high school team are all they live for. The team only has eight players representing one of the smallest schools in the states. They go through their struggles early in the season, and soon they embark on a winning streak.
They start to come together as a team when it matters most, in the postseason.
The underdogs start to pick up steam, as they ride their momentum all the way to the state championship game in Indianapolis. They quickly become the Cinderella team of the tournament. While it may seem like a cliché today, the underdog story works very well in this movie and after all of these years, it holds up very well and strong. There is a very real sense of struggle not only relevant to the whole team but with the individuals who have something to lose.
The head coach has a checkered past and there is a real sense of redemption for him when the movie reaches its conclusion. One player on the team has a father who is an alcoholic, played by Dennis Hopper and he is named an assistant coach. He has his own storyline as he redeems himself and the idea of earning the respect and love of his son.
This movie’s two main themes of redemption and perseverance, play a large role in making “Hoosiers” timeless and a sports classic.
The Ramblers have become this year’s Cinderella team. Who doesn’t love to see the underdog come through with a victory? Loyola-Chicago was not anybody’s favorite to make it the Final Four this year. They’re a smaller school in a smaller conference. This similarity between them and the Hickory basketball team can give a Ramblers fan hope for their matchup against Michigan.
They still have their doubters and so did Hickory.
For all the Rambler fans out there, giver “Hoosiers” a watch. You’ll be entertained and motivated to root for your team in the Final Four.