It’s that time of year again; that time when everyone is a resident bracketologist; that time when Cinderella’s glass slipper always fits; that time when basketball floods the screens of laptops, phones, and televisions across the country.
Of course we’re talking about March Madness, or the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball tournament.
With the rampant basketball craze that sweeps the nation each and every March, entire companies seemingly shut down during the three week tournament as employees’ eyes are glued to their various screens.
New Trier is no different. If one were to examine the iPads of students across the school over the next few weeks, odds are you will find college basketball on the screen.
However, does the Spring college basketball craze simply perpetuate student distraction during a critical third quarter stretch?
Sports fans across America make March Madness one of the most exciting spectacles in all of sports. It’s hard to argue against the thrills the tournament has to offer.
It combines the excitement of sport, the lovability of a great Cinderella story (we’re looking at you, Butler and George Mason), and the tradition and passion school pride promotes, into a three week basketball extravaganza that cannot be rivaled.
This year’s tournament is particularly interesting as Kentucky and its platoon system look to go 40-0 on the season, the first team to run the table and win a national title since the 1975 Bob Knight led Indiana Hoosiers.
In anticipation of the excitement each March has to offer, Americans flock to websites like ESPN.com and CBSSports.com to fill out their March Madness brackets, often times with money and pride on the line.
The bracket craze is nothing short of fantasy football on steroids. Last year, ESPN.com had 11 million brackets published, a number that doesn’t include brackets posted on other websites and, for those who don’t want to sign up for websites, good old paper brackets. And let’s not forget billionaire Warren Buffet offered $1 billion to anyone who could correctly predict a perfect bracket (no one was able to do so last year).
So while March Madness is truly a spectacle, this excitement comes at a cost.
As millions of people continue to eagerly fill out their brackets, companies are projected to lose an estimated $134 million in wages over the course of the tournament, according to Josh Sanburn of Time Magazine. In addition, Sanburn reports that employees are projected to watch the tournament for an average of one to three hours at work, while two-thirds will spend at least some time following the tournament during work hours.
People’s disinterest in productivity is not reserved to just the business world. For those who wander through the New Trier cafeteria or library over the next few weeks, odds are you will find countless students watching the NCAA tournament unfold on their iPads and phones.
Likewise, students constantly watch games during classes, providing a fantastic distractor for classmates. The same students are entering the final stretch of third quarter, when classes have grade- determining tests, quizzes, and papers due.
For those watching games during class, recognize you are not only breaking New Trier’s acceptable use policy, but also distracting classmates who, despite what you may think, are trying to learn.
School is designed as a place to learn, yet, during these weeks every spring, students sometimes lose sight of that.
Now none of this is to say students should not enjoy all that March Madness has to offer. The tournament is one of the most exciting events in sports, and students should be able to take that in.
The obsession with March Madness is, understandably, real. Yet the downside to this craze should be acknowledged. If you are going to watch the madness unfold this week, just wait until after class.