It’s a random Thursday morning in the middle of March. High school students typically drag from class to class, dreading the next homework assignment or the studying that awaits them, just waiting for the school day to slowly pass by.
But this isn’t just a normal Thursday. This Thursday might feel a little different, there might be a little more excitement in the air, a little more energy… a little more “Madness.”
The opening day of March Madness might as well be considered a national holiday. From the moment the first game tips off between a random 8 and 9 seed, everything else that is supposed to take place during a normal school day flies out the window.
Students sneakily try and slip their phones out hoping to find a way to stream the games, text threads suddenly blow up discussing the next potential upset, and extra tabs open up tracking each perfect bracket that might really be the one. It is pure chaos.
For most participants and fans of the March Madness challenge, college basketball is somewhat of an afterthought of most of the winter. With so many conference games blurring together, the length of the NFL and college football season leaking into college basketball, and so many teams to keep track of, most people only tune into a handful of games throughout the season.
However, the moment that bracket is available, it is all hands-on deck. Suddenly everyone becomes a college basketball expert all in the span of 24 hours. Group chats are formed, pools are organized, and everyone starts to crunch each individual matchup, evaluating everything the internet can find.
The fun of March Madness doesn’t just start on opening day. The anticipation and excitement starts to build as soon as the bracket is released following the infamous “Selection Sunday.”
When filling out brackets, some participants could name the starting five on each individual team, while others still question what a Blue Devil really is. But that is the beauty of March Madness. Nobody really has it figured out, and you have just as good of a chance as the next guy to make a perfect bracket.
Pools are organized with friends, family, classmates, sports teams, youth groups, you name it. This tournament consistently finds a way to bring people together from all different walks of life to compete for the best bracket possible.
Prizes range from bragging rights, trophies, gift cards, cash, punishments for the losers, to the grand prize of $1 million for the perfect bracket on ESPN’s famous tournament challenge.
No matter where you come from or what you know, anyone could come home with the best bracket, and no matter who you pick, there are stakes and someone to cheer for in each individual matchup.
The tournament kicks off on that magical Thursday morning with 16 games played from 10:15 AM, to the final tip off at 8:10. It is a split-screen, multiview, double screen paradise. Students beg teachers to throw the game on the big screen, coworkers huddle together during lunch over a random phone, and friends get together from all over the place to park on the corner of the couch and cheer for schools they weren’t aware of just a week ago.
There is nothing quite like it.
With 32 games played in just two days, the madness is guaranteed to deliver. Cinderella stories suddenly start to form, buzzer beaters and game winners are almost expected, and the wildest upsets and underdogs spark new fandom.
As the tournament goes on, the games only get more fun and intense. Families gather at night around the TV tuning into each game, group chats are reacting and blowing up through every lead change, and fans cheer and yell for each successful upset.
The tournament is more than a competition. It brings a unique social experience that brings people together and gives everyone something to cheer for.
After a long gloomy winter, people are ready for something to get excited about, something that brings them together. For high school students the tournament isn’t just a competition. It’s a chance to gather together, and cheer for the unthinkable. It’s not just a chance to experience madness. It’s a chance to make memories.
