Why is March Madness?

If you are in a pool for the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament, especially if you still have a chance at winning it, you know why it's maddening. You feel like a winner, a loser, a genius, an idiot, and a traitor all at once.

For those of you not familiar with the tournament, every year, 65 basketball teams are chosen to play a single elimination tournament to determine the champion. It's simple: a team loses, it's out; it wins, it moves on. Many people enter a pool with friends, which requires that participants guess the result of every game before the tournament even starts. Points are awarded for wins each round, with each round being worth more than the previous one. If the team you picked to win the entire tournament loses the first round, it's out of the tourney and you're probably out of contention in your pool. That can be maddening, but why is March madness?

Winner 

It's madness because expertise doesn't matter. In fact, it's often a hindrance. People might think they know something, but so many games come down to the last second, it's often a crap shoot. And one crucial loss can ruin your bracket. Everybody, and I mean everybody, has a chance. Odds are good that the 16 seed won't beat the 1 seed, but nobody knows what will happen. Don't listen to pundits or go by records either. Crazy things happen during the tournament.

Loser 

It's madness because you can go from first to worst after a single round. Sure, you rocked the first round, but if all your Sweet 16 don't make it out of the second, you're in big loser-y trouble. The team you chose to win it all gets upset in the second round? Even if you picked every other game correctly, don't hold your breath. Odds are that everybody will catch you--and then pass you. Of course, you can also go from worst to first after a round.

Genius 

It's madness because Cinderella can happen any year. Cal State Northridge, University of Texas at Chattanooga, East Tennesee State, Morehead State, North Dakota State, Cleveland State. Don't count them all out before the tourney starts. Any low seed or any team with two adjectives in its name can potentially make it all the way. And if they make it past the first weekend, everybody, despite their bracket, is cheering for them. Bask in the glory if you picked them--even if it was because you had 5 minutes to fill out the entire bracket and accidentally picked them because you thought it was a 3, not a 13, by their name.

Idiot 

It's madness because of the sheer number of games. During the first weekend, Thursday to Sunday, 48 games are played, whittling the field to 16 over the course of four days. The next weekend, 12 games are played to leave the four most worthy teams. It's insane trying to keep track of who plays who, who wins, and what the heck you had in your bracket. Try to watch them all? You could probably learn a foreign language in the time spent watching. Plus, the stress may kill you.

In addition, any game you picked to be an upset that wasn't makes you feel dumb. Of course UNC was going win its region. Stupid me!

Traitor 

It's madness because the team you want to win one round, you desparately want to lose even more the next round. Sure, I'll root for Duke to make it to the Sweet 16, but then I'd really like them to lose so that I get points and a lot of other people get hosed. Michigan State to the Sweet 16? Perfect, but don't ruin my chances by beating any more teams. Cleveland State's upset of 4 seed Wake Forest may cost me some points, but I'm rooting for them after that, even though I need every point I can get. Everybody's a Benedict Arnold.

March is madness because it's hard to believe you could be so many things at once.