I didn’t grow up watching much basketball. In our family, we were all about football and baseball. I tried to play basketball in middle school, but to be honest, the game bewildered me. Too much going on at too fast of a pace. And I had no idea what the NCAA tournament was about until I met my husband. When he talked of the event (back in the 80s), it involved multiple TV sets stacked atop one another so all possible games could be watched at one time. He introduced this Texas girl to basketball powerhouse programs like North Carolina, Georgetown, Duke, and Maryland. Being young and in love, of course I watched with enthusiasm.
But what has kept me coming back to this event over the years isn’t the basketball prowess displayed by these young men. It’s the drama. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has story lines to rival the best Hollywood has to offer. The teams that make it in on a wing and a prayer. The David-and-Goliath match ups. The Cinderella winners. And those are just the big picture plots. When they start profiling players or coaches, grab the kleenex!
Yes, some great basketball is played, but I love NCAA March Madness for the stories. Oh yeah–and for the shot at family bragging rights for winning our bracket picks. There is that, too.
I almost always seem to root for the underdog. That’s when I force myself to watch with my hubby. 😉
Me, too. Of course in my competitive, basketball loving family, there’s no avoiding it. It’s on constantly!