March madness: Rip
Andy Buss
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Sports
So March Madnes has officially come to an end, but it was quite a ride. We saw the usual 12-5 matchup bite teams once again, and we saw a few shockers like Wake Forest's fall. The most significant lesson gained from this year's tourney had more to do with the nation's spirit than with the championship.
Despite the economic recessions the U.S. finds itself wrapped up in, during March everyone was able to take their mind and place it elsewhere. The talk around the water cooler was not about 401-K's collapsing or investments plummeting - instead it pivoted around upsets and cinderellas.
Everyone from moms to grandmas and bosses to grade-schoolers joined the excitement. My mom - for the first time ever - filled out a bracket, continually pestered me to check how she was doing with it and, sadly, had more correct Final Four picks than yours truly. People who I did not even know were aware there was an NCAA tournament at all came up to me to rub my devastating Wake-Forest-going-all-the-way-pick on Facebook in my face. 'Thanks,' I'd say. 'Who are you?' Nevertheless, the more the merrier.
When the Michigan State Spartans beat the Kansas Jayhawks in the Sweet Sixteen, people around Detroit and Michigan were jubilant and hopeful. For a split second, the Big Three were back on their feet again, Detroit was buzzing and the weather slowly climbed out of its sub-artic temps. Then the Green and White took down Louisville - then Connecticut. Bedlam ensued. Michiganders came out of the woodwork to support the team in their endeavor to do the unthinkable - beat three number-one seeds consecutively to seize a championship. People across the state united under the banner of Michigan pride, and, though the Spartans fell along with the mercury in our thermometers, we all were reminded of why we love sports.
Sports transcend race, gender and geography. It's about competition and hope. Each new season brings newfound belief in the possibility of "this year." With April upon us, we should all take time to soak in what is quite possibly the best sports month of the year.
The men's college basketball season has just come to an end, the Masters takes place this weekend, the NBA is rushing into the postseason with the NHL close behind and Major League Baseball's opening week has swept across the major cities of our nation.
Whatever your team, whatever your sport, take time to slow down, breathe and appreciate the passion and beauty of sport. What recession? What finals? All I know is the Wings are about to repeat, and I'm loving it.
Despite the economic recessions the U.S. finds itself wrapped up in, during March everyone was able to take their mind and place it elsewhere. The talk around the water cooler was not about 401-K's collapsing or investments plummeting - instead it pivoted around upsets and cinderellas.
Everyone from moms to grandmas and bosses to grade-schoolers joined the excitement. My mom - for the first time ever - filled out a bracket, continually pestered me to check how she was doing with it and, sadly, had more correct Final Four picks than yours truly. People who I did not even know were aware there was an NCAA tournament at all came up to me to rub my devastating Wake-Forest-going-all-the-way-pick on Facebook in my face. 'Thanks,' I'd say. 'Who are you?' Nevertheless, the more the merrier.
When the Michigan State Spartans beat the Kansas Jayhawks in the Sweet Sixteen, people around Detroit and Michigan were jubilant and hopeful. For a split second, the Big Three were back on their feet again, Detroit was buzzing and the weather slowly climbed out of its sub-artic temps. Then the Green and White took down Louisville - then Connecticut. Bedlam ensued. Michiganders came out of the woodwork to support the team in their endeavor to do the unthinkable - beat three number-one seeds consecutively to seize a championship. People across the state united under the banner of Michigan pride, and, though the Spartans fell along with the mercury in our thermometers, we all were reminded of why we love sports.
Sports transcend race, gender and geography. It's about competition and hope. Each new season brings newfound belief in the possibility of "this year." With April upon us, we should all take time to soak in what is quite possibly the best sports month of the year.
The men's college basketball season has just come to an end, the Masters takes place this weekend, the NBA is rushing into the postseason with the NHL close behind and Major League Baseball's opening week has swept across the major cities of our nation.
Whatever your team, whatever your sport, take time to slow down, breathe and appreciate the passion and beauty of sport. What recession? What finals? All I know is the Wings are about to repeat, and I'm loving it.
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