Even Barack Obama, during the eight years of his presidency, did not resist. Every year, the sports world in the United States, and beyond, is set ablaze for the March Madness, the final tournament of the university basketball championship. Bringing together 68 universities from all over the country, it is one of the most important sporting events across the Atlantic. In audience, the March Madness does better than the NBA Playoffs and comes close to barely believable scores seen from France. So why this March madness?
To try to understand such enthusiasm, it is necessary to measure the university network in the United States and how many of them are candidates for the March Madness when the championship begins, at the beginning of November. More than 1,000 universities participate in the NCAA championship, including 365 for the first division alone, the one that can take you to March Madness. If for the major leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB), large parts of the country have no representatives, this is less true for university sports. Proximity reinforces attachment, the university public is both very chauvinistic and very enthusiastic because most of the time very young.
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Small colleges can have their moment of glory
Of these 365 universities, 68 are selected to go to the March Madness which will take place this year in Indianapolis and around the city of the Pacers. Thirty-two places are awarded to Conference winners and the other 36 are awarded by a committee. If in France, the big universities like Duke, North Carolina, UCLA or Kentucky collect the most media attention, the March Madness brings together both leading universities and smaller ones. Thus exacerbating the pride of the latter and their desire to bring down “big guys”.
Since we were talking about Barack Obama, we must speak here of “brackets”. A veritable institution in the United States, they take on their full meaning at the time of March Madness. Before it begins, tens of millions of Americans fill the final table of the event. And President Obama has never broken the tradition during his two terms. The goal ? To be the only one to have predicted all 67 matches correctly. In 2019, Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Warren Buffett had promised a billion dollars to the hypothetical lucky winner. Hypothetical since the probability of succeeding is obviously minimal.
No second chance
This giant prediction contest ignites America for three weeks as players see their hopes shattered by “upsets”, understand the success of a college ranked lower than its opponent. Every year, journalists try to predict who will be the “Cinderella” of the band. Often a team ranked above 16th place which, for the duration of a tournament, will thwart all the analyzes to make their way, why not, to the Final Four.
That’s the charm of March Madness. As with the NFL Playoffs, each round is played over a single game, making every possession very important. Here, there is no room for error like in the NBA or NHL (best of 7 matches). Something to glorify the winners and multiply the surprises.
What also make the supporters from all over the country crazy with joy. Each year, universities charter hundreds of buses to transport their fans to the March Madness venue. A rarity in American sport, the two teams are almost always supported equally, making the atmosphere unique. Where the NBA primarily has an audience of spectators, that of the NCAA is singular. A touch of the fury of the hottest audiences in Europe with an added zest of good-natured wit.
March Madness overshadows the NBA
Last but not least, the March Madness is placed at a strategic moment in the major American sports season. A few weeks after the Super Bowl, which allows both to let down the media interest around the biggest event of the year, while allowing the sauce to rise. It is also before the NBA Playoffs which, it must be said, is probably more of an advantage for the big league than for the NCAA.
Because it must be remembered, and this is undoubtedly proof of the power of March Madness, its audiences are higher than those of the NBA Finals. In 2021, the series between Bucks and Suns (6 matches) attracted an average of 9.91 million viewers for a peak of 12.52 million for the decisive match. A few weeks earlier, the Final Four had been watched on average by 13.34 million Americans, while the final, between Baylor and Gonzaga, had reached 17 million viewers.
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