Its that time of year again: the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has just started and everyone’s talking about it. If, like me, you’re not a huge sports fan, you probably weren’t planning on following the tournament this year. Here are some reasons why you might reconsider:
1Participate without needing to watch the games
You can fill out your bracket and participate without even watching the games. Just go online after each day’s games to check up on your teams and read the highlights. If anyone mentions how crazy last night’s game was, you can totally jump in with all the facts.
2Procrastinate by watching the games
Sports are a great excuse to hang out with your friends and watch TV while avoiding all of your responsibilities and the prelim you should be studying for. The games are so intense that you will probably be too distracted to even worry about all of the work that you’re putting off.
3Win money on your bracket
Even though your bracket picks were probably based on which teams have your favorite mascots, it’s exciting to watch your teams succeed in the tournament. With successful bracket picks, you might even win some money while convincing your friends that you totally get sports.
4Root for the underdog
Everyone loves a good underdog story and in NCAA Basketball, there are always a lot of them. It’s exciting to experience the emotional ups and downs of the tournament, with upsets ruining your bracket and your underdog picks coming through.
5Connect with the teams
Throughout the season, fans get to hear the great personal stories of players overcoming adversity in their past to get where they are now. After hearing their stories, you can’t help rooting for them in the tournament.
6Feel the emotional intensity
The games are emotional. Because it’s a single elimination tournament, every game could mean the end of a team’s season, so the players put every bit of effort and heart into each game. There’s no next game so everyone is laying it on the line, and it’s fun to partake in the excitement.
