![Picture](/uploads/1/2/3/6/12365113/3507723.jpg?215)
Few people I know actually go ‘mad’ in March, but most people I know do get in on the annual basketball pool fun. It should probably be renamed March Fun-ness. Although when I was in graduate school at one of the perennially included tournament teams, the excitement really did reach levels of madness. The University of North Carolina even won the whole championship one year when I was there and nearly the whole student population poured out into the streets to celebrate. It was pretty amazing to be a part of that.
I was happy to make the switch from a small undergraduate school with unremarkable teams to a large school like UNC that had ranked football and basketball teams. I went to nearly all games for both sports. It was fun days. Of course it’s always fun when your team wins most of the games. To this day, I still like college sports way more than professional sports. And I still root for UNC. Some years I am loyal to my alma mater, picking them to go all the way. But some years I’m a traitor, not convinced they can do it. As I was picking my teams last night, tired and under deadline to get my pool done, I picked UNC to go all the way this year, even though I think Kansas might be the team that does.
In the end, it’s almost arbitrary. Amazing upsets happen that nearly no-one predicted. But as it unfolds, there is a period of lightness in the office that is not always there. There are studies about the lost productivity to workplaces because of March Madness, but they never account for the morale and good atmosphere that is also created. I don’t think people should be watching the games while at work and I know that happens at some workplaces. Still, I’m amused by the companies that have policies against pools. Real party poopers. Go Tarheels!
I was happy to make the switch from a small undergraduate school with unremarkable teams to a large school like UNC that had ranked football and basketball teams. I went to nearly all games for both sports. It was fun days. Of course it’s always fun when your team wins most of the games. To this day, I still like college sports way more than professional sports. And I still root for UNC. Some years I am loyal to my alma mater, picking them to go all the way. But some years I’m a traitor, not convinced they can do it. As I was picking my teams last night, tired and under deadline to get my pool done, I picked UNC to go all the way this year, even though I think Kansas might be the team that does.
In the end, it’s almost arbitrary. Amazing upsets happen that nearly no-one predicted. But as it unfolds, there is a period of lightness in the office that is not always there. There are studies about the lost productivity to workplaces because of March Madness, but they never account for the morale and good atmosphere that is also created. I don’t think people should be watching the games while at work and I know that happens at some workplaces. Still, I’m amused by the companies that have policies against pools. Real party poopers. Go Tarheels!