• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, March 24, 2025

Seeking a cure for what ails you? Try submerging yourself in the glory of March Madness.

Last Thursday, I admit I wasn’t feeling that great -- the world is crazy, the stock market is in the tank, the U.S. is mad at Canadians and worst of all, regular TV did not interest me at all.

Except for one thing: Round 1 of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament was on four different channels. 

Having remembered that this was on, the negative feelings lifted almost immediately. 

What a spectacle, and one that only America can put on -- a spectacle that should fill every heart with joy.

When people ask me to join their emotional conversations about the state of the country and the world, they inevitably come around to questions about where I stand.

Not wishing to get too deeply involved in these discussions, I have learned to sidestep the question with this answer: I love this country. 

And one reason is college sports. For me, March Madness has it all: Beautiful arenas all over the country with sellout crowds making noise, biting nails and having the time of their lives.

I love learning about colleges I never heard of, some of which score upset victories in the early going. 

This year, the new names -- at least for me -- were Lipscomb University in Nashville, Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, Robert Morris University outside Pittsburgh, and McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, which scored a first-round upset over Clemson last Thursday.

I love the college bands blowing brass instruments and pounding drums, the college coaches pacing the sidelines, the constant patter from the commentators and most of all, the zeal and enthusiasm of the players.

They’re great kids, who I get to watch on TV as they have an experience in their college years that they will remember and tell tales about for the rest of their lives.

Turn on CBS or the three Turner networks TNT, TBS and TruTV at any time right now (or so it seems) and you will see college basketball and all of the ambience cited above.

I love the NBA too, but the college game is very different, although they both have the same goal -- to get the round ball into a round hoop.

NBA play is not perfect, but it’s a lot more perfect than the college game, which is part of the charm of college hoops.

Sometimes the kids are too fast and too hasty and then, oops -- they’re throwing the ball away or getting it stolen or just as serendipitously making shots that are nothing short of miraculous.

Sixty-four teams made the tournament, 32 survived to this past weekend, when games could be seen for hours and hours. 

Thank you, television, for curating the whole thing and bringing it home. Live sports -- you gotta love it!