Whether or not you are a die-hard fan of any team, in particular, you probably have a favorite sport to watch. If you despise all sports and refuse to watch, you can stop reading now because this article is not for you; but before you go, if you would be so kind as to copy and paste this link into your Facebook status bar so your friends can respect you as an American, that’d be great, thanks.
Let’s face it — this is America, where the Super Bowl attracts more viewers than the State of the Union address (and it’s not even close), the NFL owns an entire day of the week (previously owned by the churches, which seem to own a majority of the south but never mind that) and college basketball owns the entire month of March.
While the Super Bowl, the World Cup, and March Madness are infallible among the most captivating sports championships, March Madness is indubitably the greatest. Here’s why. The World Cup happens only once every four years, and America never even wins. Once America inevitably loses, nobody cares unless they’re from whichever country is still competing, or they actually care about soccer. The Super Bowl may be the most popular sporting event in the history of the universe, but it’s just one day. Only fans watch the entire playoffs.
Now we’re left with March Madness. I know I’m probably overestimating the enthusiasm most people express for the sport, but think about it. In what other (relevant) sport does a mid-major program have a shot at competing for a national title?
The Knicks certainly won’t be getting the opportunity to become a Cinderella story in the NBA playoffs. Even if they did make the playoffs, a best of seven series is just not conducive to upsets. The underdog barely has a shot.
The unpredictability of March madness is simply unparalleled in sports. Just this tournament, a 14-seeded Stephen F. Austin team took down a West Virginia team that dethroned both Oklahoma and Kansas during the regular season.
Both teams were ranked number one during the regular season at one point. Michigan State, which had been a heavy favorite to win the title, lost in the first round to a 15-seeded Middle Tennessee. Throughout the regular season, at least, six teams were ranked number one before being upset. If Warren Buffet offered a billion dollars for a perfect NFL playoff bracket, he’d likely go bankrupt.
While I typically despise arguments between fans trying to explain why their sport is better, I figured in the spirit of March Madness, I’d give it a shot. You’ll either be reading this just hours before the national title game or at some point after the fact, which doesn’t give you much time to see for yourself. Next year, I urge you to fill out a bracket and see for yourself why March Madness is the most intense, captivating and unpredictable playoff season of any sport worldwide.
