March Madness

It's here! Happy my Utes got the win last night.

I heard Stephen Colbert ask Charles Barkley last week why the country loses its collective mind for this particular tournament every year. This is why I think it's so popular:

Every team has a seed
This is important for casual fans. Anyone can look at the little number next to a team's name and know if they should win or lose their matchup.

Cinderella stories

It's cool to see a team win that was supposed to lose. There are so many upsets every year. #MiddleTennessee

Regional interest

With 68 teams in the field, most people can find someone to cheer for.

Bracketology

Even if your team gets eliminated, you still have a rooting interest for every game. Most workplaces have a bracket contest.

Day games

At some point along the way, the tourney became part of the American workforce culture. Most people are allowed to watch the games at work. If the games were exclusively at night, we might not have all those office bracket competitions, and it wouldn't be a fun culture-building event.

Access to games

Big shout out to CBS, TNT, TRUtv, and TBS for putting the games online. Another shout out to your boss, who probably doesn't care if you watch the games. It's so easy to watch any game.

Any other reasons I missed?