It is the middle of March and in most of the United States, this time of year has various meanings. For most it symbolizes that spring is near, the snow banks are melting away, and one can feel the change towards warmer weather. People are busy again, breaking out of the winter doldrums, and the clocks spring forward for 1 hour (excluding Indiana and Arizona) so people who work past 6pm can actually see sunlight when stepping out of the office and driving home from work.

For avid sports fans, the image above is the clear sign that March has arrived.

Many people partake in College Basketball pools of various kinds throughout the country, whether it is just for bragging rights in the Accounting Department or for monetary gain. Sports fans (and non-sports fans) are hooked on these brackets like no other time in “Bracket History”. The following chatter will begin in the office in under two weeks:

“Hey Joe, I took the 13 over the 4 seed in the East bracket, do you like Drexel’s chances to pull off the big upset too?”

“Billy, I think the 2 seed in the West is prime for an upset. I am taking the upstart 10th seed to upset the 2 seed and reach the Elite 8. If that 10 seed comes through for me Billy, I can win the pool! OH YEAH!!”

The Men’s NCAA Basketball tournament is a sporting event that encompasses so many things that are great about sports. There is the pure joy that the players and fans feel, as the anticipation of each game draws near, the bands are playing, the fans are on the edge of their seats watching at their homes throughout the nation. There is the David Vs Goliath angle, where upsets seem to happen at least twice a day in the first 2 rounds. There is no denying the greatness of the NCAA Tournament, but from my angle, these brackets are hurting the event as a whole.

Fans, and sporting networks such as ESPN, the world-wide leader in self promotion, have put SO much emphasis on these brackets that it takes away some juice from the regular season. Just watch the ticker on ESPN2, where they now have a Bracket Busters section, to get you ready for who can bust your bracket. Translation: Here is how ESPN will help you win the $ in your office pool and you can reign supreme for 15 seconds of fame!

To me this takes something away from the beauty that is the tournament. Many fans just emphasize this sheet, and not the great plays and great finishes to all the games. It overshadows taking a day off on a Thursday, getting comfy on the couch, and watching all the games at once CBS breaks to one 5-12 game in the East Bracket, and then to another fantastic finish in the South Region, and so on. Or going crazy about why CBS did not go to the buzzer beater finish and decided to stick with a 1-16 matchup that was basically decided, or rant about something Billy Packer said, and so forth.

As great as College Basketball can be, something needs to be done to put more of an emphasis on the regular season and more importantly the players, coaches, and schools involved in the NCAA Tournament, and NOT in whether Digger Phelps gives you the inside scoop to win your bracket.

Otherwise, you might as well just change the NCAA logo to a giant bracket and throw $10.00 into a pot and call it a day.

NOTE: In case you are wondering who wrote this: I am Brian, AKA “Sambone” and I am a contributor to Hitting Back. Many thanks for Derek for allowing me to contribute to this great site! I welcome any comments or feedback you might have about this or any future articles!