College Basketball Fans Rejoice, It’s That Time of Year Again: The History of March Madness
“The ball is tipped and there you are, you’re running for your life, you’re a shooting star! And all the years, no one knows just how hard you worked but now it shows… (in) ONE SHINING MOMENT, IT’S ALL ON THE LINE… ONE SHINING MOMENT, THERE FROZEN IN TIME…” Every college basketball fan knows when “One Shining Moment” starts playing that the best time of the year is back, baby! March Madness is the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Typically, fans complete brackets (some to win the big bucks) to guess which team will win the overall tournament and it can be nerve-wracking, to say the least.
March Madness began back in 1939 and the Oregon Ducks were the first team to win the NCAA tournament. At first, there were just eight teams that competed but in 1951, it doubled to 16 and kept growing. Now, there are 68 teams from universities across the country which are widdled down to the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and Final Four. While the term March Madness was first coined back in 1939 by Illinois high school official, Henry V. Porter, it wasn’t actually used on the NCAA tournament broadcast until 1982. Just a few years later in 1986, David Barrett wrote the song “One Shining Moment” and it became the tournament’s signature song.
How March Madness became something that college basketball fans look forward to each year
Wikimedia Commons
While typically the best of the best teams win, it can get tricky to complete your bracket because every year you have to account for some upsets, meaning it’s the underdog that wins. The biggest upset in March Madness history came in 2018 when 16-seed University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) won over 1-seed Virginia, 74-54. In the history of March Madness, a 1-seed team was never beaten by a 16-seed team before this. A seed refers to a ranking given before the tournament begins. This year, March Madness is just starting and fans are already at the edge of their seats. If you are interested, click here for the entire March Madness schedule including when each game airs, how to watch, and which teams are playing.
Now, got your bracket ready to go!?
Not interested in basketball? You are in luck! This year, we are doing a little March Madness game of our own! We are counting down the best TV Miniseries so head on over to our poll and take a vote!
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