Why is March Madness so popular every year?

[soccerdad72]

Oh, I agree. Four sites each day, and two games at each site...

Site 1/Game 1: 12:15P ET Tip
Site 2/Game 1: 1:15P ET Tip
Site 1/Game 2: 2:45P ET Tip (30 minutes after game 1 end)
Site 2/Game 2: 3:45P ET Tip (30 minutes after game 1 end)
Site 3/Game 1: 5:15P ET Tip
Site 4/Game 1: 6:15P ET Tip
Site 3/Game 2: 7:45P ET Tip (30 minutes after game 1 end)
Site 4/Game 2: 8:45P ET Tip (30 minutes after game 1 end)

So the last game should end around 11P ET. None of this "Tip off at 10:30P because the previous game went long)

I went one year to the first and second round games (it was our third time going) with a buddy of mine. It was a Friday / Sunday location. When they announced at the end of Friday's games the Sunday schedule, there was an audible groan through the crowd. The first game was a 6:30pm tip, which put the second game as an approx. 9:30pm start. We didn't finish until close to midnight. For those who were travelling a long distance, it was rough. I got home close to 2am that year (2 hour drive home).

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

March Madness Live also provided free stream previews long enough to stream a large chunk of 1 game.

Yes, that's how I watched the second half of the Texas game Saturday night. But you have to have a cable subscription to be able to watch it. Same with ESPN. Makes me so mad. Why even have the app? And a subscription if you can't watch stuff that's on ESPN, SEC, ACC, etc.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

I've never understood the weekend schedule in Week 1. There's a standalone game at like 12:15, another standalone game at 3:30 (ish) and the first time on Saturday and Sunday there were multiple games on wasn't until like 6pm. I'm not sure why they don't space them out more. I understand they're not going to have a noontime west coast start, but with eight games, it doesn't make a lot of sense to have 5 of them start after 6pm, IMO.

I agree. But they want all eyes on the big boys (Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, etc) that's in those time windows every single year.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Yes, that's how I watched the second half of the Texas game Saturday night. But you have to have a cable subscription to be able to watch it. Same with ESPN. Makes me so mad. Why even have the app? And a subscription if you can't watch stuff that's on ESPN, SEC, ACC, etc.

Actually you don’t need to be subscribed to cable during the preview…

 

[sam_gordon]

I agree. But they want all eyes on the big boys (Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, etc) that's in those time windows every single year.

I don't think prime time is as big a deal on weekends.

 

[hardcorestitch]

I don't think prime time is as big a deal on weekends.

CBS isn’t known for sports in Primetime. They love daytime events. Most of the night games in the 2nd round are on TNT Sports channels… all because CBS doesn’t want to let go of its time based shows (iykyk)…

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

CBS isn’t known for sports in Primetime. They love daytime events. Most of the night games in the 2nd round are on TNT Sports channels… all because CBS doesn’t want to let go of its time based shows (iykyk)…

That's what I mean. They run middle of the day Sunday afternoon. That's when more TV is watched. But I do get it. Texas should be on CBS from here on out (if they advance). I can't imagine the Elite 8 or Final 4 being on one of those alternate channels. They've always run all Elite 8 and Final 4 games on CBS.

 

[sam_gordon]

That's what I mean. They run middle of the day Sunday afternoon. That's when more TV is watched. But I do get it. Texas should be on CBS from here on out (if they advance). I can't imagine the Elite 8 or Final 4 being on one of those alternate channels. They've always run all Elite 8 and Final 4 games on CBS.

Nope. Looks like only two of the last seven games are CBS...

https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...ls-announcers-where-to-watch-ncaa-tournament/

According to Google, TBS had the semifinals in 2014-2015. Since 2106, TBS had the semis and finals in even-numbered years and CBS has odd numbered.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Every March I never have understood why March Madness has become a big affair...

Because it's fun, and because it's a once-a-year ritual/tradition, and those are healthy to have:

https://www.plattpc.com/journal/10-reasons-traditions-are-so-powerful

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/counseling-keys/202011/why-traditions-matter

https://activeminds.org/blog/how-cultural-traditions-become-mental-health-care/

 

[sam_gordon]

People like to watch.

Per the networks, tournament viewership as a whole is off to its best start with an average of 9.3 million viewers, a 5% increase from last year.

https://sports.yahoo.com/mens-colle...etting-thursday-slate-of-games-205434338.html

 

[royeheat]

If you do not have cable try the sling daily pass starting at 4.99 for 24 hours. Beats going to a bar or restaurant and paying 10 times that amount in food

 

[hardcorestitch]

That's what I mean. They run middle of the day Sunday afternoon. That's when more TV is watched. But I do get it. Texas should be on CBS from here on out (if they advance). I can't imagine the Elite 8 or Final 4 being on one of those alternate channels. They've always run all Elite 8 and Final 4 games on CBS.

The final four and National Championship game is on TBS every couple of years. CBS and TBS rotate annually.

 

[NotUrsula]

It’s only going to get bigger and bigger with the addition of legalized sports betting.

And we have a winner! (If you'll pardon the pun.)

Basketball is a cheap sport to play at the basic level; all you need is a ball and a net next to a hard surface. That means that almost every American at one time or another has at least tried to play basketball, and an enormous number of Americans in all socioeconomic strata have become relatively good at it -- at least enough so to understand the game well enough to feel like you can reliably pick the winners in a bracket. For that reason, this tournament is a huge source of gambling-related revenue. (Face it, basketball is WAY more popular than baseball these days in the US, and I think it probably has a greater claim to really being "America's Game".)

If you love going to games but are not rolling in money, attending a good college regular-season game is much cheaper than going to an NBA game. (Though with real powerhouse college teams it is nearly impossible to get single home-game tickets.) Good college basketball is comparatively accessible and also pretty exciting, which adds to its popularity.