March Madness- One Season Ends Another Begins
March Madness or March Sadness:
This is the time of year when basketball fans from all over the country begin to celebrate their team’s season and their quest to win a national championship and cut down the nets This is a very exciting time for fans and players alike as they begin to see the fruits of their labor, whether that be their undying support of their team all season long or the blood sweat and tear that were left on the practice floor this season to get the team this point of contention. This is what it is all about at the most fundamental level. This began way back on the national signing day for most athletes. As they narrow down the institutions many student athletes would consider what program will best support their education, add growth to their game, and give them the best shot at being part of a winning program. Ultimately, putting oneself in a position to compete for a Championship. In most cases the true brand of success in college basketball is to still be playing basketball in the month of March. Everyone knows only the best teams are still playing basketball in March and the Madness ensues.
On every level of College Basketball the Month of March is loaded with some of the best most competitive basketball you will ever see. From the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), to the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC), don’t forget the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), all the way up to the National College Athletic Association (NCAA). Not to mention many of these associations having a Division I, II, and III level and they all have their own National Tournament to compete in. That is 11 College basketball national tournaments, and at least 11 teams that will finish the season as champions. The vast majority of college athletes will never play for a national championship at any level, but they have approached each day with a desire to do so. Needless to say there is way more March Madness happening than most people even know, way more selection Sundays, way more tournament brackets, and way more Elite Eights and Final Fours. This leaves plenty of student-athletes still pursuing their quest to be called champion even if their team, their division, their association, does not get the vast media coverage, it is no less exciting to that student-athlete, that team, and those fans, to have their ONE SHINING MOMENT.
In the month of March there is also sadness looming over the college basketball world. The sadness of a student-athlete as a season comes to an end, as you play on your home floor for the last time or as you think of the results of that final game. The times of triumph with your teammates, the wars in practice, the battles in the games, or that carefree time spent on the road. All those things come to an end for another season. For those seniors who have spent the last four years for their lives committing to this program, it is all over and you have have an even bigger task to take on…LIFE. There is also another level sadness and that is the sadness that comes as a result of March, many times resulting in coaches getting fired all over the country. March represents a massive change in the world of coaches where many go from having a job to not having a job, having a job to having a new job, or not having a job to having a new job. The sheer numbers of coaching changes that happen in the month of March will blow your mind. Hundreds (maybe even thousands) of coaches are fired, hired or replaced. This goes without mentions the families of the coaches who are often uprooted from their lives as a result of the change. March Madness or Sadness? I guess it depends on who you ask…
