Warning: G-Ninj is just around the corner Parental Guidance is highly inappropriate!

<body>

Monday, March 14, 2005

Madness in America

here is my first foray into sportswriting...

Madness in America
By John Paul Manahan

The month of March has been a special month to America, not just because it marks the start of Spring Training, or of teams in the midst of their stretch run for the NBA and NHL playoffs, and not just because it is the early part of the NASCAR season. March turns American society upside down, inside out with the NCAA Division I Men’s Collegiate Basketball Tournament, more widely known as the phenomenon that is “March Madness”. It is this “madness” that turns normal everyday people into armchair analysts, clairvoyants, and slaves (to office pools, to the television, and or radio). This phenomenon had its humble non-descript origins, to its monolithic status today.

How come it has become such an integral part of American society? In seeking answers, we go back to the 1960s. People became disillusioned with how events transpired (Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, Cold War) at the time. Thus, he started looking for an escape, searching for something that he could identify with, a kinship or a sense of belonging. Sports eventually became that escape, producing not only individual heroes, as well as national pride (in the case of the Olympics), but also institutions that represent their ideals, in this case being their alma mater. It glued the whole nation together as one, something that is now more relevant after what transpired on September 11.

Television, particularly the introduction of color, not only accelerated the escape, but also sowed the seeds of a united community pledging allegiance to whomever they please, enhancing viewer participation. This viewer participation then combined with their competitive nature led to the set-up of office pools and sports betting currently prevalent today.

With regards to NCAA Tournament, national prominence came into fore with the UCLA juggernaut during the mid-1960s until the mid-1970s. Coached by the legendary John Wooden, the Bruins ran off ten championships in a span of twelve years, including seven straight titles.

The Tourney then evolved into something more, something akin to a movie; providing pure thrills and suspense for the viewers, with storylines to boot. Take UTEP (then known as Texas Western), for example. The Miners in 1966, with five African-American starters, won against the University of Kentucky that was all-white starting lineup. Or who would forget the Larry Bird - Magic Johnson rivalry that had its foundations on the 1979 NCAA Championship Game between Bird’s Indiana State and Magic’s Michigan State? How about some Hardwood Classics like Arizona – Gonzaga (2003), Oklahoma State – St. Joseph's (PA) and Connecticut – Duke (2004)? Moreso with the nation's love affair with Cinderella squads like Valparaiso and Manhattan.

From its humble beginnings to its present-day status, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament still is very much simplistic in its goal; to determine which is the number one team in the country, something its football counterpart seems to have some difficulty doing. Maybe it lies in proving who is the best by “walking the walk”. It is in that competitive spirit seen from the players, the coaching staff, the trainers, and most of all, the fans, which forms the essence that is the phenomenon called March Madness.

Come and join the Madness!

Written by the Ninja @ 11:30 PM

Hello! Welcome to my domain!
Remember to always keep an open mind.
To navigate, click the warning signs. Hope you enjoy the blog.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.