By Peter Sismour and Dr. Michele Kerulis
It is the time of
the year when casual fans become die-hard followers and underdogs assume the
role of “Cinderella.” It is March Madness, the pinnacle of the college
basketball season. While the average fan may decide to pay closer attention or
fill out a bracket in their office pool, players themselves now have the
opportunity to cement their efforts and achieve all that they have been working
towards throughout the year.
The National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men’s Basketball tournament offers the
platform for lesser-known schools and players to become household names. Over a
multiple week tournament, teams and fans alike experience the ups-and-downs of
facing win-or-go-home prospects in every game. In the end only one team can
emerge as champions. Over the course of the tournament, however, the highs and
lows have a remarkable impact on both casual fans and self-proclaimed fanatics.
The excitement and
anxiety begins on the day commonly referred to as “Selection Sunday,” which
occurred on March 16, 2014 when teams and fans tuned in to watch as the
selections and seeding for the tournament were revealed. From that moment on
brackets are picked apart and analyzed as experts and fans try to determine who
will pull the big upsets, when defining moments will happen, and who will come
out on top.
As 64 becomes 32,
and 32 becomes 16, more and more of the country will begin to tune in. In fact,
USA Today reported that the 2013 March Madness Championship game saw the
highest Nielsen TV ratings in nearly two decades registering a 14.0 rating (in
comparison to a 12.3 rating in 2012). Throughout the 2013 tournament there were
an average of 10.7 million fans tuning in for any given game (Shuster, 2013)!
The most exciting rounds are typically the first and second when many of the
upsets take place. But, as the tournament wears on and the field begins to take
shape, the “Sweet Sixteen” round and the “Final Four” offer some of the most exciting
matchups among national powerhouses.
It is obvious that
the tournament is wildly popular and offers a means of bringing people
together, but it has proved much more meaningful in the past with significant
and direct impacts upon American society.
The
tournament offers schools, fans, and players the opportunity to come together
and enjoy the most prestigious collegiate basketball tournament in the country. Hopes and dreams will be dashed and achieved. We
as fans are lucky to go along for the ride. Only one team can achieve their
ultimate goal, but all 64 offer an inside look into the successes and failures
of the highest-level student-athletes as they set their minds and focus their
attention on achieving the Championship title.
The
Sweet 16 begins tonight. Only eight teams will emerge as the Elite Eight and we
will continue to move closer to the Final Four and the Championship game. Have
your brackets ready and tune in at this afternoon beginning at 1:15ET to see the action.
Reference
Shuster, R. (April 9, 2013). NCAA men’s Div. I basketball
tournament most watched in
19 years. USA Today. Retrieved from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/04/09/ncaa-mens-basketball-title-game-cbs-overnight-tv-ratings/2067107/
*All content remains intellectual
property of Dr. Michele Kerulis
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