March Madness, the Big Dance, Tourney Time. Whatever term you want to use, it's that time of the year again. Where people across the country cheer for teams they have never cared about before and support players they have never heard of before.
It's also a time of great school pride for millions of students across the country, wearing their school colors as their teams march towards a championship. Chants such as "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk. GO KU" and "Hoya Saxa" can be heard in arenas from San Jose, Calif., to East Rutherford, N.J.
One of the aspects that makes the NCAA tournament so great is the fact that college athletics, like high school teams, are one of the last great places in sports where the passion between players and fans is so intense. Sure, there are many fans around the nation who are just as passionate about their professional squads, but the relationship is never the same.
Unlike professional sports, fans of college teams can directly relate to the people they are watching perform on the hardwood. They live in the same dorms, they go to the same classes, and they might even be best friends with a star player. Imagine this.
One minute you may see a player such as Brandon Rush or Greg Oden chilling in the student center and the next he is hitting a big three-pointer to lead his squad through to the next round.
For myself, I was unable to experience this excitement at the collegiate level, as AU came up just short of making it to the tournament, losing in the PL tournament to Holy Cross. However, at home over spring break, I was able to see this type of passion in person.
The day after St. Patrick's Day, my high school hockey team had made it to the state championship game at the Boston Garden (officially the TD Banknorth Garden, but who is really counting).
Having never been to a state title game, I did not know what to expect.
The level of passion in the arena was something that I had never experienced before.
It seemed as if half my town was there, cheering on players that were pouring their heart and soul into a game only few had ever dreamed about playing in. Fans young and old, students currently in school and alumni like myself back at home for the first time in months, were united in the pride they had for their hometown school.
My team eventually won, earning the school its first state championship in 27 years. But what made it really special for me was seeing people who I had grown up around, the friends of my younger brother who only days before were sitting in my living room eating pizza, and who were now celebrating the biggest game of their lives.
So as you watch the Final Four next weekend from Atlanta, don't just watch the players on the court, but also observe the way the fans react from the stands. The passion surrounding high school and collegiate athletics is not just about the game but also about the intense connection between athlete and spectator that can never be accomplished anywhere else in sports.
