Over The Fence: Unique Madness

March Madness is arguably the most exciting time of the year for college sports.  Whether you followed college basketball, or any other sports, for that matter, through the rest of the year, you are bound to hear about this tournament.

The tournament appeals to a wide variety of sports fans and makes me wonder whether such an event can be pulled off by other college sports.

The number of games played, amount of coverage and appeal of the sport contribute to the success of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

sixty-eight teams participate in the three-week, 67-game tournament. According to ESPN, there are 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 possible outcomes of those games.

Fans fill out millions of brackets that can be busted in a matter of hours.

It is theoretically possible for any other sport to hold such a large tournament, but the ability to progress through that many games in that little time is unique to few sports.

Football teams at any level rarely have more than one game a week. College soccer and lacrosse teams also have somewhat limited schedules.

On the other hand, college baseball and hockey regularly play not only multiple times a week, but on back-to-back days as well.

The constant coverage of the tournament is also a significant aspect of March Madness.  Games are shown on CBS, TBS, truTV and TNT. In the second round there can be as many as 16 games in one day, creating situations for back-to-back games and seemingly perpetual coverage.

College baseball playoffs are mainly broadcast on ESPN’s family of networks.  However, the limited channel options and length of baseball games make it difficult to have the same coverage loop provided by timed sports.

There are a handful of nationally broadcast college hockey games every weekend of the regular season. Unfortunately, there is trouble getting some of the most interesting playoff games broadcast. There was even doubt about whether Quinnipiac University, the top-ranked team in the country, would have its first-round Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament game broadcast live on TV.

College hockey does already have a very similar tournament format. However, professional hockey still doesn’t have a large audience in this country, so college hockey would have quite the hill to climb if it were to try to expand to the size of the men’s basketball tournament.

With football, lacrosse and soccer rarely having multiple games a week, baseball’s timing not allowing for smooth coverage and college hockey’s trouble getting its current playoff games on TV, that leaves college basketball as the one sport fit to hold a tournament of such magnitude.

College basketball attendance is only bested by that of college football. At one time, Madison Square Garden was a sufficient location for the Final Four. Now the tournament requires the capacity of football stadiums for the final games each year. Both sports have the audience to create such a tournament, but only basketball has a sport that provides just what March Madness requires.

March Madness was not created overnight.  It has taken 75 years for it to grow to the size and spectacle it is today.  Let’s not forget, this tournament isn’t called “madness” for nothing.  Buzzer-beaters and upsets impact a wide array of sports fans, based on how each one filled out his or her bracket.

Men’s basketball will own NCAA playoffs for a long time.  In order for college baseball, hockey, soccer or lacrosse to even begin to challenge the experience of March Madness, they would first have to require championship games held in NFL arenas.

Most college sports and fans are already content with the other playoff systems.  Ever-critiqued college football is even implementing a four-team playoff.  As long as fans and schools are satisfied, at this point it is best to leave the madness to March. It’s not as if any other sport could compare, anyway.