Tonight is the start of March Madness, which, as the name infers, will extend into April. Sixty-eight men's teams vying for college basketball superiority, with the winner probably taking home a trophy of some sort. I really don't know, since I always stop paying attention before the Final Four comes around.
That's not to say I don't enjoy the tournament. I love its first week, with over four dozen hard-fought contests between sometimes-bitter rivals.1 The rest of the tourney is a scant fifteen games, but that opening weekend is enough to put it in my list of the five best sporting events to watch, along with (in no particular order): the Super Bowl, the World Cup, the Olympics, and the Secret Ninja Olympics.2
I live in CT, in the heart of UConn country.3 I was a huge UConn fan in my youth, but hopped off the bandwagon after high school.4 So now, while most of my neighbors and co-workers root for their hometown Huskies, I'll go against the grain and cheer on the underdogs every step of the way.
Or, more likely, the underpirates.5
Who are you rooting for this month? Or more importantly, what's your favorite mascot?
1 That's sometimes-bitter, not sometimes-bitten. This isn't Twilight.
2 I'm kidding, of course. There's no such thing as the Secret Ninja Olympics, with events such as Moguls of Death, Steeplechase of Death, and the Extreme Ninja Bake-Off. Really. Pretend I never mentioned it.
3 As opposed to the spleen of the Yukon territory, which never fields much of a team.
4 And jumped on the orchestrasnowmobile instead. Nobody blasting their trumpets in my ear on that one.
5 For reference, there are 8 dogs compared to 8 birds and 12 cats among the team mascots in this year's tournament. Along with the usual suspects (e.g. 4 tigers, 4 wildcats, 3 bulldogs), we also have pirates, peacocks, zips, zags, spiders, gauchos, monarchs, boilermakers, and two different types of aggie. And, of course, we'll also be graced with the closest thing we have to the Lord of the Rings' ents in the real world: the mighty Sycamores of Indiana State.
My favorite mascot is that Moon-faced entity from when the cast of Futurama visited the moon in the second episode. Aside from that, no mascot really turns my head.
ReplyDeleteIf the SNO did exist, you would be violating all sorts of ninja regulations by mentioning it here. Some SNO officials might have to send their minions to take you out. Pssst, don't look behind you!
ReplyDeleteI was born in Columbia, Missouri. My first job was at Ferot Field selling soda/hot chocolate during Tiger football games. I'm not into sports as much as I used to be, but I still check in from time to time.
ReplyDeleteThere's also a history to 11 seeds in the tourney doing well, so I fully expect Mizzou to beat Cinci.
I live in the Carolinas, so either UNC or Duke. (Fans of either would kill me for that!)
ReplyDeleteJeffrey, any reason to discuss Futurama is a win in my book (though not in my actual book.) All glory to the Hypnotoad!
ReplyDeleteHannah, what part of pretend I never mentioned it don't you understand?
Joe, you expect tigers to defeat bearcats? That's half-bear, half-cat! I find that highly unlikely. Maybe if they were a 12 seed...
Alex, they won't kill you for such blasphemy. UNC fans will tar and feather you, whereas Duke fans will stick a pitchfork in you and roast you over a low flame.
I live in Kansas, so I'm obligated to root for KU. Besides, their mascot is a giant Jayhawk. That's pretty cool, right?
ReplyDeleteI know they'll make it pretty far into the tournament at the very least. They usually do.
Rachel, I'd think plenty of people in Kansas feel obligated to root against KU, being fans of Kansas State and all (even if they are just another bunch of wildcats).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I find KU always either makes it to the Elite 8 or gets knocked out by the 2nd round. For your (and my bracket's) sake, I'll hope for the former.
Kansas State is dead to me! Dead! Too much purple anyway. (But yes. Plenty of folks here rooting for them.)
ReplyDeleteI love playing basketball myself, but I don't quite get into all the March madness. Probably because I've got so much madness with all the writing I have to do. :)
ReplyDeleteNutschell, though I do get into the tournament for a couple days, like you I prefer to play my sports, not watch them. And aye, though writing be madness, there is method in it. (Actually, I think it's the other way around.)
ReplyDeleteI'm from California, live in Texas and I'm married to a man from Louisian...so...I have to choose - carefully - a team to support each time there is a game. Usually, I route for the opposite team from my husband, just to keep things interesting! ;-)
ReplyDeleteSylvia, that sounds like something I'd do, except my wife doesn't care about college basketball. If I root against the Bills, however (I've moved onto the NFL here), she'll disown me. And try to keep my cats.
ReplyDeleteWHY ARE YOU MENTIONING SNO...W HERE! YEAH, SNOW SHOULD BE A STRICtly outside business.
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