Gene Therapy: March is My Type of Madness!

by Gene Clemons

I love football. As a player, coach, and writer, football has always meant so much to me. It has opened doors that I never knew were there. I am forever grateful and indebted to the game. But anyone who really knows me, they know that I am in love with basketball. As a kid growing up in inner city Chicago, the court was the sanctuary from all of the chaos (mostly). Throughout the years, basketball has remained a constant in my life. I grew up a Carolina Tar Heels fan. I wore #15 because of Reidel Anthony in football and Vince Carter in basketball. For anyone who loves hoop, the NCAA tournament is Christmas. It's the most wonderful time of the year. The tournament encapsulates everything great about sports. It's the convergence of all classes and all abilities where the outcome is simply based on what happens between the lines. We have seen impossible comebacks and massive upsets. Anything is possible during the madness of March. So, what makes it great?

The Cinderella Factor

The most obvious reason the tournament is beloved by hard core basketball fans and novice is because is the Cinderella factor. The team who is winning despite not having the same resources or talent of other schools. 11, 12, and 13 seeds have been the prime seeds to upset an opponent seeded higher. In that process we learn so much about the team, the players, the coach and the community. Many of these teams come from conferences with a single NCAA bid. So, if they don't win their conference tournament, they won't receive an at large bid (an invitation to join the tournament without an automatic bid). There are teams in these mid major conferences that will have a fantastic season where they only lose a few games, get to their conference tournament and get upset by a team with a .500 record.  Their dreams of making it on the big stage extinguished with one loss.

But for the ones that do make it in, this is their chance. Maybe that higher seeded team underestimated their abilities. Maybe a big-time player was in foul trouble or having a bad day. Maybe a player on that underdog chooses that day to turn in the performance of his life. The ball bounces funny ways and when both teams look up, that double digit underdog is tied up on leading. Then the pressure begins to build for the favorites. They are supposed to win, so the victory celebration would be minimal, but if they lose, they become a cautionary tale, a meme, and their dream of cutting down the nets is over.

That underdog has nothing to lose, nobody picked them to win, and, in most cases, they are expected to get blown out. When they begin to make their move, we learn about the quirky details about their school. The hurdles they've overcome just to be there. We are introduced to families and shown rituals that only make us invest in that lower seed's outcome emotionally. When they win one game, it's a cool story but they have to prepare for another game in less than 48 hours but if they win the second game, if they make the Sweet 16, they get their chance to be celebrated for an entire week and we get to take that ride with them. Even when it comes to an end, and unfortunately it always does, we are sad for the team but appreciative of the journey they allowed us to sit shotgun on.

Breakout Stars

The NCAA tournament has launched the careers of countless amounts of players. When you get the chance on the big stage you must take advantage. Everyone in and out of the basketball world is watching. This becomes the opportunity for players to show they can perform when the lights are shining the brightest. It was on the NCAA stage back in 2008 that a skinny kid from North Carolina made his presence known at Davidson. Steph Curry was overlooked by all the major colleges and universities because of his lack of size but his game was huge, and, in the tournament, he was a one-man wrecking crew as people were amazed at his confidence and assassin-like accuracy. He became a household name and a top 10 pick in the NBA draft. The rest of history. Carmelo Anthony was the top recruit in the nation when he went to Syracuse. He led the Orange to the 2003 NCAA Championship his freshmen year where he was named the Most Outstanding Player. and his performance on the NCAA tournament stage had people questioning whether they should take him over Lebron James. Mateen Cleaves in 2000, Mario Chalmers in 2008, Kemba Walker in 2011, Anthony Davis in 2012 and countless others have exploded on the scene thanks to the NCAA tournament stage.

The Brackets

The biggest draw of the NCAA tournament has become the fascination with filling out brackets. The gambling aspect has always been a draw in sports. It is the reason why fantasy sports are so popular in the United States. What started as office building fun and turned into a billion-dollar business. Whether people are into basketball or not, the brackets become a bonding experience and an opportunity for bragging rights. ESPN reported that they had 17.3 million brackets submitted for this year's tournament. Following your bracket is just another way engagement is built and people become personally invested in the outcome of these games. A bracket challenge could be as large as what ESPN, FOX Sports, or CBS sports put on, or it could be as intimate as a few of your good friends throwing a couple dollars into a hat. The range is endless and therefore the engagement is endless. Today, even when you have a horrible first weekend with your picks, there are secondary brackets that give people a second chance to pick their winners. That way people are engaged all the way through the tournament.

Some of my favorite sports memories come from the NCAA tournament. The dominance of the early 90's UNLV Runnin' Rebels, the Fab Five phenomenon, the rise of Villanova, and my love affair with the Tar Heels are all memories that I have been fortunate enough to experience in my time. I've watched Gonzaga become a power and Georgetown become an afterthought.  Who will be the next team to rise? What player will put themselves on the map? What memory will we take from this year's version of Madness? I anxiously await and welcome all outcomes.

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Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.