March Madness

I love March Madness. My two favorite sports days of the year are the Second-round of the Men's NCAA basketball tournament --yesterday (Thursday) and today (Friday). (It seems weird to me to call these two days, "the second round" -- I still consider them first round games!)

It's a good thing that I don't gamble! As much as I am obsessed with these two days, I can only imagine how greater the obsession would be if there was money attached to the outcome!

I have loved these two days for over twenty years! I remember being obsessed with them when I was a stay-at-home mom back when our kids were pre-schoolers.

I love that the starting times of the games are staggered so that you can see the finish of each game. I love that the parity of play in the men's tourney is so close that a lot of the games are decided in the last minute.

I love that the games are now on four different networks so I can control what I want to watch. Believe me, the TV remote got a huge workout yesterday! 

I love the dramatics and the emotion of the games -- winner advances, losers are done - college careers are over for seniors!

I love choosing brackets and being emotionally tied to the outcomes of each game. I love competing with others on our picks.

I was thrilled when I realized that my Spring Break week coincided with these two days of basketball. It's been a long time since I had these two days off and could see for myself the outcome of each game -- watching it live is SO MUCH BETTER than watching highlights of the game after the game is completed!

I had a hard time choosing between my desire to visit my grandchildren during this week of Spring Break and my desire to watch the games uninterrupted. That's how much I love these two days of basketball!!! 

Harry Potter movies are on ABC Family network -- I love Harry Potter, but I haven't even sneaked a peek at them -- even when the games are on commercial breaks! My desire to watch the games is greater!

At our house, sports is on the TV much of the time that my husband is home. Even when I am emotionally attached to the games -- the Red Wings are playing, Michigan vs. MSU football, etc. -- I  wander away from the game, playing on the computer, reading books, doing household chores, etc. Not during these two days of basketball. I'm glued to the TV all day/night long.

I was actually annoyed last night when my husband didn't change the TV station to a different game during commercial breaks. He was switching back and forth between CBS, TBS, & TNT. However, he was neglecting the game on Tru TV. When he left the living room to bring our dog in for the night, I reclaimed the remote. If he wasn't going to check out the game on Tru TV, I would do it for him!

In an attempt at full disclosure, I do have to say that I did take a break from watching the games late last night for about half an hour to get on the computer and to read my Bible. But even that time was strategically chosen -- it was during the first halves of the late games. I didn't miss the deciding minutes of the outcomes of the games! :)

The rest of the tournament will not hold my attention as well. With fewer games being played each round, you have wait longer for the outcomes of the games. I'll still be emotionally involved and root for my teams, but I won't be as glued to the TV. And, depending on how my bracket plays out, I may not even watch the later rounds. There is a direct correlation between my bracket and my interest in the later rounds. If I don't have any teams left, I probably won't even watch the game!

But during the first two days of the tourney (aka the 2nd round!), my brackets still look great. Hope of victory still abounds. And the outcomes of the games come one after another, keeping my interest and excitement level peaked!

March Madness lives in me!!!

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