By Ryan Lynch
The World Cup, the Super Bowl or even the Olympics, but nothing compares to the thrill and excitement that March brings.
The heartbreaks, the upsets, the Cinderella stories …. This is what makes March Madness the greatest sporting event in the world.
March Madness is the NCAA basketball tournament. A tournament that consists of 64 colleges, representing the smallest conferences all the way to the schools that usually play in front of 20,000 people in the crowd.
Schools with the nicest facilities going head to head with schools with gyms no bigger than high schools. Schools with dozens of NBA players competing against schools with none. Last year an unknown Oakland University team led by Jack Gohlke defeated a No. 3 seed University of Kentucky team.
Gohlke knocked down 10 three-point baskets leading Oakland to their first ever NCAA tournament win. The University of Kentucky men’s basketball program has a total of 138 players who were drafted into the NBA, compared to Oakland’s three.
Every year an unknown player arises. For example, this year Christian Shumate from McNeese State University will be the untold star of the tournament.
I believe March Madness is the greatest sporting event ever. Some may think the Super Bowl is the best, but I disagree. The Super Bowl is only one game and can often end in a blowout. March Madness takes place over three weeks with a total of 67 games.
A large part of the tournament is making brackets. Last year, a total of 83 million people created a bracket on ESPN.com in hopes to turn in a perfect bracket.
Every year a Cinderella team comes out on top against a high seed in the tournament. When was the last time you submitted a bracket for any other major sport? Probably never. March Madness is unique in this way and this is one of many reasons I believe it is the best sporting event ever.
March Madness allows any smaller program to get the glory that the major programs get. For example, in the NBA championship it hasn’t been a team lower than the 5th seed since 1984.
Two years ago a No. 16 seed, Fairleigh Dickinson, beat the No. 1 team in the tournament Purdue. The next year Purdue made it all the way to the championship. This shows that anything can happen in March and every team has a chance.
Another reason why March Madness is the best event is the variety of locations. Every year the “Final Four” is in a different place, along with the national championship. For example last year the final were in Arizona and the year before Texas. Next year the “Final Four” is coming to Indianapolis.
This also gives fans the opportunity to see the best teams in college basketball, and future NBA players. This gives everyone an opportunity to go to the big games as it moves along all over the country.
Betting is a big thing around March Madness. With nonstop game action there are a lot of opportunities to put some money on your favorite teams. An estimate shows that a total of $2.72 billion was used to place bets on the NCAA tournament compared to the Super Bowl’s $1.5 billion. This makes it very fun to bet on the games with friends or family.
This year’s edition of games tips off on Tuesday with four play-in games. There will be 67 games, which means 67 chances to see something remarkable, like it always results in.
This column represents the personal opinion of freshman Ryan Lynch. It does not necessarily represent the opinion of the Eagle’s Eye newspaper or Delta High School.
