March Madness: A Tradition

What is March Madness: A Tradition? The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament (known informally as March Madness or the Big Dance) is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), to determine the national championship. The tournament was created in 1939 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and was the idea of Ohio State University coach Harold Olsen. Played mostly during March, it has become one of the most famous annual sporting events in the United States.

March Madness: A Tradition

Almost 10 years ago, my bro, Scott approached me in his casual way about basketball.  He asked me if I knew about the Big Dance, and I replied no. After a brief discussion, we decided that we would request time off from work for the opening 2-days of the tourney. We involved my sister / roommate, and other friends, as well as co-workers at Costco Travel. Charrina and I would host both days for the first year.

We lived in Issaquah, and had a grand room with an epic view.

Charrina and I had no idea what to expect, to be honest. We quickly discovered it was wall-to-wall basketball! Four channels simultaenously broadcasting a game after each game. It was crazy fun! I was recently introduced to a ‘gentleman’s bet’ aka $1 bet which was easily incorporated into the basketball watching.

My sister and I are hosts with the most so the drinks were always full, the menu was brimming with food, and music in the background if no games were being played. That set the precedence of March Madness: A Tradition.

It started with 4 of us: Scott, Jason, Charrina, and I. However, news spread quickly about how much fun we were having. So the next year was a party of 8 in our tiny apartment. But that’s why it was so memorable: the inside jokes, the laughs, the food, the drinks, and mostly the people.

At one point during each year, I scale back to absorb and revel in my friends and family being happy. I feel accomplished knowing I brought that happiness to them!

One of the funniest moments I recall one in the early years. As most casual conversations organically transition from topic to topic, we landed on “Diner Lingo”.

Scott fired up my desktop computer, located online a glossary of diner lingo, and belted out a few. Click on the link to read 55 phrases, but my fav is still … “Gimme a pig on wheels and drag it through the garden!” (Ham sandwich to go with everything on it)

So Spaceship Earth, do you have a March Madness tradition? Is it 10 years or longer strong? Please comment below! We’d love to know.

Until next time, be good like you should, and if you can’t be good, be good at what you do!

Mic drop *bOoM*

‘los; out