Friday, March 19, 2010

My Favorite Kind of Madness...



It's March Madness time again, one of the most wonderful times of the year—a time when productivity in the American workplace reduces by as much as 15 percent, a time when in order to succeed in your office pool, people resort to everything from internet research to blind guesses to choosing by mascot.

It's funny—I never was a gigantic sports fan growing up, but if there was one sporting event that completely captured me, it was March Madness. I love college basketball, much like other college sports, because the athletes give their heart and soul. They haven't yet become jaded by big salaries and thoughts of trading up to a better city as the players do in professional sports. And of course, the potential of the Cinderella team is one of the biggest draws every year.

There's something to be said for getting completely engrossed in game after game, watching as the network switches back and forth as scores get closer and fall further apart. And this year, we went to Jacksonville to catch some first- and second-round games live, which has helped my excitement grow even stronger, although watching four games live within 10 hours is more exhausting than you'd think. But we saw two really exciting games today, with Cornell a surprise victor over Temple, and Wofford, in its first tournament appearance ever, nearly beating Wisconsin.

Do I have a favorite? Honestly, as long as Duke doesn't win, I'm fine. (You may recall a previous blog post when I mentioned I don't like athletic dynasties; I'd much rather see a new team win than the same one time after time.) Of course, W would want me to say I want Maryland to win it all, so, go Terps!!

All I know is, this is the best kind of madness there is.

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