March is approaching. Do you know what that means?  That right, it’s time for March Madness. Sixty four teams all putting it all on the court for one goal, to be champions.  Heartbreakers, buzzer beaters, champions, all of these things arw what makes March Madness such an exciting time for people all over the world
March Madness held its first tournament the year 1939 in the city of Evanston, Illinois. The first championship was between the University of Oregon and the University of Ohio State. After Oregon won, every team made it their goal to do what Oregon did the first year of the tournament.
Throughout the years, certain teams have separated themselves from the rest, proving they are some of the most elite teams in the country. Teams like the University of California Los Angeles and the University of North Carolina have won many championships over the years, many more than other teams.  Other teams like Duke and Kentucky are also among some of the top talent in the country. It becomes hard to go up against these teams as they always have some of the best talent in the nation.  “I feel like there are only five teams which always win.  I hope that someone else wins this year,” junior Jason Eisen said.
Another exciting part about March Madness are the Cinderella stories that seem to come out of nowhere. The Cinderella stories are of teams who weren’t expected to be good at all who seem to make far in the tournament. It brings an exciting aspect to the event as no one knows what is going to happen.  Teams like Florida Gulf Coast and Virginia Commonwealth University have made amazing runs that have shocked the nation as a whole.  Another name for these teams are “bracket killers,” as they mess up brackets.  “There is always that one team which I don’t pick that wins and it really angers me because my bracket becomes destroyed,” sophomore Ethan Kach said.
Every year, brackets are made by people all over the world, trying to pick the correct team that wins in each game. Friends challenge friends, coworkers challenge coworkers, and before you know it there are about 1 billion brackets submitted in the span of 24 hours. In order to get a perfect bracket you have to pick every single game correctly which ends up being 128 games in total. The prize for getting a full bracket with everything correct, is $1 billion. In the history of March Madness, no one has ever filled out a perfect bracket. In fact, to give you a sense of how hard it is, it is easier to win the lottery three times in a row than it is to have an absolute perfect bracket.  “Getting a perfect bracket is the hardest thing to do.  It is all luck to get one perfect,” junior Daniel Philipose said.
Like the Super Bowl, March Madness brings in people all over the world, making it one of the highly anticipated sporting events.  According to NCAA.com, there were 11.3 million viewers who watched March Madness last year.  That is up 10 percent since last year and will most likely continue going up as long as the hype continues to surround the month of March. “March Madness is the best time of the year because every game is so exciting,” junior Justin Slud said.

Drew Shrager

Staff Writer