Brackets Make Sports Worthwhile Again

There are a couple of lulls in sports fandom throughout the year, but none worse than the post-Super Bowl drought. Most of the subplots of February after the big game involve off-the-field stuff: Free agency signings, trade rumors and the great NCAA at-large bid vs. Not In Tournament question. Most of the games are tired regular season teams playing out the string or resting for the playoffs or exhibitions, in the case of baseball.

But once March rolls around, college basketball’s Championship Week begins and we get to celebrate what might be the two best sports days of the year: Days 1 and 2 of the NCAA Tournament. Not only do you have a vested rooting interest — your bracket — but everybody also gets together and roots for the underdogs to win.

This year, we even get to root for the local teams, as Temple, Saint Joseph’s and Villanova all got in. Joe’s has the highest seed, an 11, despite Temple finishing 2nd in the Atlantic 10 and beating the Hawks in the finals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. TU and Villanova are No. 12 seeds. Temple kicks things off Thursday afternoon at 12:30 against Michigan State (winnable); Joe’s plays Oklahoma at around 6 p.m. Friday (very winnable!) and Villanova has a late-night Friday game at 10 against Clemson (not as winnable as the other ones).

I suggest you go print out a bracket and fill it out in pen first, as that makes it easier. And if you do that, please use the one from the NCAA’s website, which has this disclaimer: “The NCAA opposes all sports wagering. This bracket should not be used for sweepstakes, contests, office pools or other gambling activities.”

The NCAA opposes all sports wagering and, therefore, does not want me to bet on pro football. Does the NCAA lobby Congress to ban casinos? You know, if the NCAA was so concerned about people betting on games, maybe every game can just end in a tie instead. That seems like a better idea. Until there are three-hundred national champions, things just aren’t fair.