Every March, we always hear about the basketball NCAA tournament, all of the 64 teams that are involved, which team has the best shot at winning it all, who some of the dark horses are, and so forth. There is a reason it is called March Madness.
I've often wondered why there is so much hoopla around the basketball NCAA tournament and not as much around other sports, such as baseball and hockey. The tournaments in those sports certainly have large and loyal followings, but not nearly to the degree that basketball does.
There is definitely something to be said for the fact that basketball is the most-played sport in the United States. It makes sense when you think about how little it takes to get a basketball game going compared to other sports.
I think part of the appeal of the basketball NCAA tournament is the fact that it lasts for so long as well. In sports like hockey and baseball, the tournament does not carry on the way the basketball tournament does, and you don't get to see as many games.
Another aspect of the basketball NCAA tournament that makes it intriguing to a lot of sports fans is that there is always the chance that the underdog will surpass everybody's expectations. It seems that every year, there is a Gonzaga, George Mason or some other team that nobody thought would get past the first or second round, but makes it to the final eight or four.
I also think that the names they have for the different rounds, like the Sweet 16, the Elite Eight and the Final Four, are catchy, and in terms of sports terminology, they have become household expressions for most basketball fans.
The thing that I hear the most about college basketball fans, however, is that basketball at that level is still fun to watch. The players at the college level are still willing to learn and grow, and most of them are unselfish and play a team game.
These players have not become self-absorbed millionaires who care more about their image than their teams' record. Now, I'm not saying that all players in the NBA are that way, but the young men and women that play college basketball play because they love the game.
The basketball NCAA tournament boasts the best of the best in the country when it comes to the sport of college basketball, so naturally it is going to draw a massive following.
I have to admit that I am not the biggest basketball fan in the world. As a matter of fact, out of the four major sports, it is probably my least favorite. I do know, however, that when it comes time for the basketball NCAA tournament, televisions at my friends and family member's houses will be on virtually non-stop, and mine might come on every once in a while, too.