OT: Why is March Madness so popular?

[BigBuddha]

Can somebody explain why the NCAA march madness is so popular?

a lot of my friends who never watch NBA are actually talking about their 'brackets'. im the opposite way...been an NBA fan since the 3rd grade but never understood the NCAA hype

[raps4life~]

because people feel like these kids are playing for true pride, with all of their hearts. theres arn't huge contracts and millions of dollars involved.

also, because of the one-game "series" TONS of more upsets, unlike the NBA where the team that wins the ship can be predicted in late December.

[bballsparkin]

Do or die, excitement till the end. Underdogs shining through. Really, there's nothing to explain. It's awesome.

[roundhead0]

Single game elimination is good for casual fans because only short attention is required, and progress through the brackets is rapid.

[tmd_10]

Unsung heroes. Kids that will grow up to live normal lives getting their moment to shine and laying it all on the line.

[pistons_own]

because people feel like these kids are playing for true pride, with all of their hearts. theres arn't huge contracts and millions of dollars involved.

also, because of the one-game "series" TONS of more upsets, unlike the NBA where the team that wins the ship can be predicted in late December.

i never understood why either until I read this, great post.

[34_fifty]

yea i didn't understand it either but just getting into it. The games are always soo close and there's a huge chance for upset wins. I remember in 2007 I found myself cheering for the warriors in the first round because it was so exciting to cheer for the underdog. Anyways, don't know a lot about NCAA but am just getting in to it.

[sportsrock37]

I think it's most popular to people that went to a university. I went to Florida from 2004-2008(so it's certainly understandable why I like it ), but I was a huge fan the Roberson/Walsh/Lee years as well. I love college basketball. If I could choose who wins a title: the Florida Gators or the Orlando Magic(my favorite NBA team) I choose the Gators 99 out of 100 times, even though they already have a couple and the Magic don't.

Pretty much what everyone else said, it's a 1 game series, anything can happen look at George Mason with 0 NBA players beating UNC, MIchigan State, and then the #1 Uconn who was loaded. Then you have half these kids pouring everything out on the floor. While it's not "cool" to cry, you see so much emotion in practically every single game, because for some of them there entire basketball career is over as they have no chance to play in the NBA or probably even overseas. They lay EVERYTHING on the line.

[Slava]

College ball is real basketball. No superstars involved, no playing for contracts, no big scouting routines etc. Whoever brings their best game on a certain day wins. Also the passion from fans and players alike for the college game far exceeds the pros.

Also the opportunity for a small team from nowhere to upset the big guns is an added excitement. The game is pretty much up and down, fast paced with few isolation plays if any called frequently and team basketball preached at every game.

[Warspite]

Its seeing matchups that would otherwise never happen and the conflicting styles as well. In the NBA every team runs the same 5 plays but in the NCAA you see the diveristy of what basketball can be. With todays modern TV we see alot more teams and many more games but back in the day the 2 best Cs almsot always played in the same bracket and the nations leading scorers matched up in another contest. Its not so much anymore but the matchups are still very entertaining.

Go on CBSsportline and watch the MSU vs UofT game and you will see a better game than just about anything in the NBA this yr.

[sisibilio]

because people feel like these kids are playing for true pride, with all of their hearts. theres arn't huge contracts and millions of dollars involved.

Actually there are huge contracts and millions of dollars involved. It's just the players who don't see a dime of it.

[Burton]

Gambling, and a snowball effect of co-workers/friends being interested, and others wanting to jump on the train to be part of the experience.