Here Back East

March Madness Fever

What makes a sports fan? In my case, I was a late convert, and I have Patti to thank for it. Patti has every television set in the house on a sports channel, whether it’s tennis, football, baseball, or basketball. Until she came into my life, I had no real interest.

In my early youth, my access to spectator sports was limited to local in-season high school basketball games. There was no television, though I did follow baseball play-by-play on an old portable radio, sometimes under my bedcovers so my parents didn’t know I was up late at night. But I don’t remember being very preoccupied with following the pro athletes, and it more or less mirrored my own modest involvement in organized school sports. I played for a while on the tennis team in high school, and I was offered the position of “towel boy” for the swim team, which I did without enthusiasm.

When I was in college and then law school, I did attend a football game or two, but once I passed the bar exam, I was focused on work and then building my own practice. Any free time was devoted to family life, and sports fandom was never a priority. In terms of sporting interest, I got my exercise and relaxation through cross-country running and fishing. But now, with the extra time on my hands and regular exposure to Patti’s favored sport interest of the season, I have found myself drawn into the excitement of following a team or two.

This year, the Superbowl was a standout, though perhaps it was more about the watch parties with friends and all the extra publicity surrounding the romance between a running back and a pop star. Recently, I attended the local Sag Harbor School J.V. basketball team in support of my paralegal Pete, who coaches.

But here in Florida, the true awakening of the sports fan impulse in me has been through watching the local live-action of the highly competitive Florida Atlantic University basketball team as they play in the run-up to the college championship. From urging Patti to get the best bleacher seats to making certain my FAU t-shirt is pressed for each game, I have admittedly come down with a case of March Madness fever.

The youthful drive and energy of each one of the players is an inspiration, each striving to be the best, even knowing most won’t reach professional status. They are of one mind with only one goal: winning. Maybe it is a bit of projection, but I see some of myself in them, not on the court or in terms of physical ability but playing in life to win. It is heartening to watch their success. Their play is a pure competition of abilities—nothing political about it, just good sportsmanship. Once in a while, a player will question a referee’s foul call, but otherwise, the rules are rules. The referees keep the game fair and the flared tempers at bay.

Following March Madness is not just an excellent experience for the spectators; it is a refreshing escape from the heated political goings-on dominating the news. Whether one is a liberal or conservative doesn’t impact that jump shot or swish of the net. The teammates clapping and gathering in a circle, their arms on each other’s shoulders, is a picture of brotherhood and unity. And for those of us in the stands, the die-hard fans, we feel it, too.