The return of March Madness in 2021 signifies a return to normalcy. Somewhat. After the tournament was canceled in 2020 for the first time since its inception back in 1939, the return of this college basketball extravaganza is a welcome sign that we might be starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. At the same time, the changes to the tournament for the 2021 contest are a stark reminder that we have not reached that light yet.
There will be several changes to the contest to make it work in the context of a pandemic. Perhaps the biggest change will be that the entire tournament will take place within a single state.
A Return to Normalcy
March Madness is one of the most popular sporting events in the United States every year. For big-time college basketball fans, it is the culmination of a season of rooting for your favorite teams and watching out for the players who will potentially be the next NBA superstars. However, the tournament is not just for the die-hard college basketball fan.
Many people don't watch a single college basketball game leading up to the tournament but then devour the competition once it arrives. All of the biggest sporting tournaments share this boom in popularity. People want to see the best of the best going head to head even if they don't care enough about the sport or any single team to follow anything leading up to the big show.
The Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the World Cup are three of the sporting events most watched by people who don't particularly care all that much about the sport at any other time.
There are many reasons for the boom in popularity beyond seeing the most elite teams and players compete. These tournaments aren't just sporting competitions. They are cultural events. They will be widely talked about, and people watch them so that they can be part of the larger community.
Money Money Money
Many of the people watching March Madness also do so because they have money in the tournament. Big bracket tournaments like March Madness and the World Cup lend themselves to friendly bets with big pots.
You don't have to be someone who normally gambles to decide to throw some money into the pot for a big bracket challenge. A very small investment can lead to a fairly sizeable payout when you have a bunch of people chipping into the pot. It is along the lines of many more people buying lottery tickets when the jackpot gets really big.
Offices, bars, and groups of friends will often create betting pools for March Madness. Most participants aren't too invested but just enough so that the possibility of winning the pot makes watching the games a lot more exciting.
Of course, there are people who invest a much more significant amount in the event and are very serious about it. People will use basketball stat tracking software to guide their picks in hopes of winning larger pots that could be life-altering.
What's New?
People familiar with the tournament will notice some key differences this year from previous competitions. Normally the event takes place in 14 sites around the country. This year, however, the entire tournament will take place in Indiana, with games played in Indianapolis and nearby Bloomington.
Of course, there will be many precautionary measures taken to make sure the athletes are staying safe, including spacing of games, social distancing regulations, and stringent cleaning measures.
How the teams are broken down into separate brackets in this year's tournament will also be different from in the past. In previous years, the four groups of seeds, one through 16, were assigned based on the region of the teams for travel concerns. Due to the fact that there will not be any real travel between matchups this year, though, organizers have decided to forego the traditional regional breakdown.
Instead, the committee in charge of organizing the tournament decided that an S-curve seeding arrangement that stays truer to a team's overall ranking would be applied regardless of region.
There are still some caveats that will likely prevent the bracketing from being 100% based on overall seeding. The committee must follow some guidelines to prevent too many rematches from the regular season, which could force some teams to be slightly shuffled around.
Unlike many sporting events that have taken place over the past year, there will be fans allowed at the event. However, unlike previous tournaments, the stands will be far from packed full. Those hoping to attend the competition may find it difficult to obtain tickets as capacity will be capped at 25% of the available seating in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus and protect both fans and players.
While March Madness might not return to its full glory this season, the important thing is that it is returning. The games will be played, and fans can enjoy a slight taste of normalcy as we look forward to the post-pandemic world that lies ahead.
