Tomorrow kicks off one of my favorite days of the year, the beginning of March Madness: the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Sixty-four teams with the opportunity to be crowned national champion in a little over two weeks. It is exciting, and almost everyone fills out their brackets to see if they can guess the winner.
What is interesting is that the games on the first two days of the tournament are shown when most people are at work or school. Researchers estimate that the loss of productivity nationwide around the tournament is nearly $1.7 billion dollars. CBS internet will show all the games and even has a “boss button” that quickly brings up a spreadsheet so that it looks like someone is working instead of watching the games.
Watching the tournament is exciting though, especially when an unlikely team can upset another team like Valparaiso University did a few years ago when Bryce Drew hit “the shot” to beat Mississippi State. He will always be remembered for that shot and the university gained much exposure worldwide because of his heroics.
While the tournament itself can be a fun event, many people suffer greatly by getting caught up in the excitement and betting money illegally. “The FBI estimates that of the $2.5 billion Americans gamble on the NCAA tournament each year, only $80 million is legally bet through bookmakers in Nevada.” Some of this may appear to be harmless, but there are many people who lose their sense of good judgment and go way overboard by betting recklessly.
So how does this tie in to excellence in Christian character? It is probably like going 75mph when the speed limit is 60mph. We can all justify why we do something, but sometimes it is important to ask ourselves are we staying in bounds. Picking winners in the NCAA tournament isn’t a bad thing. Getting so caught up in a pool that it affects our job and our relationships is.
For the record, I root for the same team every year to win the tournament. Go Jayhawks!
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