As for the Wizards and the Warriors — it’s going well. Really well. Jimmy Butler III continues to look like a genius trade. The Wiz Kids are making progress so quickly that the future could be as soon as next year. But enough about them because
It’s that time of the year. You either know it as the best weekend of sports, or the weekend when certain members of your friends and family disappear. The time when college basketball is on from noon-1 am, or in the much more reasonable West Coast from 9 am-10 pm for 5 days in a row.
Two days ago was the anniversary of this buzzer beating shot to send the Wolverines into the Sweet Sixteen in 2017. This was freshman Jordan Poole and the start of his national reputation of making big shots in big moments.
From L to R: Houston player on floor, Charles Matthews (now at Memphis Hustle), Zavier Simpson (playing in Romania), Jordan Poole (Washington Wizards), Mo Wagner (Orlando Magic), Duncan Robinson (Miami Heat)
We watch this weekend for our team and our rooting interests. Sometimes our betting interests, whether you are a fanduels or a family bracket person. But mostly we watch for moments like these. These moments of grief and belief. For players rejoicing and players crying. For seeing some comeback so unimaginable, some upset so improbable that for a moment, it changes how we see the world and what we think is possible. And if enough of those moments stack up, they can carry you through. Shoot, this Jordan Poole clip alone has carried me through many years.
The pure joy, teammates chasing him in an impromptu game of tag, a freshman scoring his first points in the second half to win the game.
Experiencing this moment once feels pretty darn good. But this first weekend, there’s the distinct possibility that we might experience it many times, even many times a day because there are so many games happening and the college tournaments always have at least a few Cinderella stories.
But enough waxing on about the glorious possibilities of watching sports. Let’s get practical. As a person who’s done this for the vast majority of my adult life, here are some pointers to making this the best weekend ever.
Figure out how you are going to handle your job. I admit, this advice is arriving a bit too late. Usually, I take Thursday-Friday off of work. Other things I’ve done include working fewer hours or shifting hours, saving the most boring, most rote projects to do while watching television. One year my boss was also a basketball fan and we watched together in her office. But it’s really hard to watch and work and with some jobs that’s completely impossible. If you can, take the days off.
Fully Commit, Part 2
Don’t say “I might watch some games” to your partner/roommate/friend/family member. Let them know “I’m watching basketball with all my waking hours.” And then make that same commitment to yourself. Do not have the illusion that you are going to do some paperwork or return emails or do your taxes. You are watching basketball. So do it.
In an ideal world,
You would have taken the week off and come to the West Coast to watch games - it is so much more reasonable to watch games from 9 am -10 pm than noon to 1 am. I believe there is a business setting people up with March Madness weekends on the West Coast where you get a rental, a stocked fridge and recommended local delivery and specific orders based on preferences, but that’s a business plan for a different day. (For real though, if you want to go in on this with me, I’m semi-serious.)
Get the Channels
TruTV, TNT, TBS and CBS for the men, and the full suite of ESPN channels and ABC for the women.
Stay Away From Your Laptop/Tablet and Your Phone
I know, you’re not going to do this - I’m not either. But it would be so much better if we could. People have a tendency to watch tv while on another device (or two). Last week I caught myself with the game on, while finishing the details on a slide deck that had me on my computer and ipad while I was texting with a friend. This is the fast path to missing the basketball. The internet is designed to distract us and hold us. Checking something quickly is a path to the rabbit hole and then you are in the worst of all worlds - you didn’t really see the game but you did check bluesky 12 times. Also, you might be watching your team on delay and the loveliest, most well intentioned friends and family will spoil the result by texting you. Which reminds me:
Watching Games on Delay
If you attempt this, (if your two favorite teams are playing at the same time on different channels and you don’t want the result spoiled), know that this is very challenging. Announcers will tell you if there is a close game on the other channels and more importantly, they show live scores of all the games constantly. I don’t mess around with this. I cut out cardboard and tape it to my tv on the part where they show the other scores and have it available for these moments. Sometimes the scores are along the bottom in a crawl but more often for this, they are in the top right corner - so yes - I have cardboard cutouts for both situations. I also take my phone and my laptop and put it in another room so I don’t pick them up out of habit and ruin it for myself. No spoilers!
Have a Plan for Timeouts and Halftimes
What will you do? It is my recommendation to stay away from basketball during those times. As you know, I read a physical book then. During halftime I turn the volume off so it’s quiet for a little bit. But there’s lots of other things you could do. That stack of New Yorkers you are going to read someday, printed out crosswords. Knitting. Maybe there’s something small that needs sorting? Jigsaw puzzles. Anything that can easily be put down and picked up. You will have fewer halftimes (because there are other games to switch to) but even more timeouts, especially at the end of games. You could make a lot of headway on a scarf or puzzle or book and the brain wants this type of break. Since this is a marathon, not a sprint, halftimes are also good for short naps, meditation, a small walk outside or making meals, which brings us to
Food
Plan ahead. These games will span 2-3 meals plus snacky time. There is not time to cook anything fancy. And several days of delivery/takeout is a bit much. For me, in my life, anything I eat can be made in five minutes or less so it’s not an issue for me. Have healthy food and healthy snacks ready. This is not the Super Bowl. Sunday will be impossible if Thursday and Friday are filled with Doritos. Hydrate.
Workout
Whenever you want to. Watching sports is a great time to workout. All those athletes are sweating and you might as well too. Get on that exercise bike. Plank away on the living room floor. Move a tv to that makeshift gym in your garage.
Sleeping and Staying Awake
Because this is a marathon, don’t rely on extra caffeine to keep you awake - no more caffeine than you usually do. (Also, no more alcohol than you usually do - again, this is not the Super Bowl). Nap when you are sleepy. A basketball nap is pretty pleasant and if the game gets really close the volume of the announcers will wake you up for the exciting parts.
Who To Watch With
Are you doing this solo? With others? Realistically, there is no one who is going to watch all 48 hours with you. That’s ok. This is for you, taking delight in the things you take delight in. Let others love what they love, which might include coming over for THE GAME or sitting down to join for a few hours. At the same time, if you live with others, do not expect them to take care of you in this venture, unless you are doing the same for them when they spend many consecutive days watching television.
Disappear
It’s ok to disappear for a few days. You don’t have to answer the phone, or call anyone. You will only have basketball to talk about. Even though you are having fun, let’s be real, you are not that interesting this weekend. And people will only get your divided attention. You can have an OOO reply - talk to me Tuesday, I’m watching basketball.
Don’t Give Up
There will come a time when you are over it. We are not used to fully committing to anything. We are used to multitasking. And the to-do list. And feeling guilty for pursuing what we love to do. But you can do all those things on Tuesday. They will still be there. Give yourself these days. Not because you deserve it. Not because everything is complete. But because you love basketball. So, the first time you want to give up, when you notice you are sick of basketball, resist it. Keep watching.
Give Up
But the second time? Give in to it. It might be a crappy game. You might be exhausted. The ultimate point of this is to have fun and if you aren’t having fun, stop. You don’t control the quality of the games and that will make a difference in your interest level, especially on Sunday night, when there are fewer games to choose from and the body is tired.
Why does the weekend include Monday?
Because of the Women’s tournament! This season, the women’s teams are more competitive than ever - there is a high potential for upsets and great games. In the past, I would have said that outside of your team, you don’t have to watch the women’s tournament until the 2nd week because there are so many blowouts. I’m not sure if that’s true anymore. The Sun/Mon games could have a lot of excitement in them. UConn, UCLA, USC, South Carolina, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas - these are all teams worth watching. Everybody Watches Women’s Sports.
That’s what I’ve got - all the wisdom and experience I have on the subject. You will notice that I have given no thoughts on picking your bracket. First you will read this too late for bracket picking–games will already be on. And I believe in following your heart. In believing in the impossible. In teams making unlikely runs while your heart nearly bursts from joy.
I’m rooted in Michigan Basketball outperforming expectations. The 16-17 season where the Wolverines were seeded 8th in the Big Ten Tournament but win it, and then go to the Sweet Sixteen as the feel good team of the tournament. The following season was the Jordan Poole shot and a National Championship game.
And then there’s my origin story - the 88-89 Michigan Wolverines, their only National Championship. I was a junior at UofM, which is another way of saying I Was There. Season tickets every year. And when our coach was fired (for announcing that he was taking another coaching job the following year), Steve Fisher became interim coach and this good enough team clawed their way to greatness. Winning the semifinals with a shot at the last second, and in the finals, Rumeal Robinson, with a 65% free throw percentage, with three seconds left in overtime, sinks both free throws to win.
From L to R: #35 Loy Vaught, Rumeal Robinson, #41 Glen Rice
I know that the unlikely happens. This makes me horrible at picking brackets. Well, that and the fact that I will never pick Duke, Kentucky, Rick Pitino or a team with someone accused of sexual assault on it.
