March Madness

[Haruhifan]

Good to have Ask Janey back here.  OK my question for Ask Janey today is to explain the concept in the US called March Madness, as what it is that gets Americans to take time off to watch college kids play basketball.  Thanks!

[Rajah Dodger]

Americans love sports.  All sports.  (Okay, maybe not cricket though it is played in a few isolated villages.)  We use sports as a metaphor for war.  We participate in combat vicariously.  We make bets on the games and settle up afterward without hard feelings.  Well mostly.  In theory this sublimates the aggressive urge that in other countries ends with Germany overrunning Poland, the Turks and Kurds killing each other, or Kevin Costner making movies.  We like to see winners in our combats.

This is why there is such angst in the U.S. over the lack of a playoff system in college football.  In all other major team sports we can follow a team from the beginning of its season to that final game where the ultimate winner is established.  Even better, we can vicariously participate in the sport by associating ourselves with one or another team.

Anyway, March is when the college basketball regular seasons end and the post-season tournaments begin.  In the NCAA top divisions, 64 teams are chosen to compete in a binary elimination to the Sweet Sixteen and the Final Four until a single champion is crowned.  More importantly, millions of dollars are won and lost on these games.  Isn't capitalism wonderful?

Rajah Dodger, who has lost his share picking brackets but does it anyway...

[janey]

Dear Haru
Sorry to have taken so long to answer this as I have been away for a while and rather neglected my forum. However here is, finally your answer.

The March madness is not just a phenomenon of North America but is experienced all over the world, though in other parts of the world it takes place in different months.
General world madness is held in check for the majority of the year by Quarks, tiny particles that are ever present in our atmosphere. However the North American Quarks go on holiday every year in March to Belgium.  For most people the madness is so slight they hardly notice it, but for some it is more marked. For those people the Quarks leave behind, deeply implanted in their minds, the overwhelming urge to watch college students play basketball as a way to channel the madness away from more harmful pastimes.
Thy do similar acts in different countries when the local Quarks go on holiday and all Quarks holiday only in Belgium, which is the reason that Belgium is the only country without a mad month.  Which is probably another good reason for not going there.

[Haruhifan]

NP I'm in and out while I move address myself Janey.  Also welcome Rajah to the site!