The 2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men’s basketball championship tournament kicked off just last month on March 19. Better known as March Madness, the tournament is run by a single elimination system amongst 68 teams. At SIS, many students and teachers created their own groups of competitors to arrange a bracket of teams that predicts the outcome of the tournament, with the most accurate bracket winning.

“March Madness is not like other sporting events in the sense that it is very accesible for everyone, and the tournments are very fun,” said Jimmy Fischer, English teacher and participant in the SIS teachers’ March Madness tournament. “Although I wasn’t so successful this year, I am sure that I will participate again next year.”

Thanks to the prearranged system on the ESPN website, anybody who had interest could quickly and easily access to competing in the March Madness frenzy. When March Madness first kicked off, it was common to see the tournament brackets printed and scribbled all over on many teachers’ desks. In their free time, they were analyzing the many college basketball teams’ records and potentials to create their perfect bracket. It worked as a very effective, but brief, get-away for the teachers.

For students, March Madness was much more visible online on social networking sites. Many students were seen posting pictures of themselves painstakingly creating their predictions and their confidently finalized brackets. Unlike Fantasy Basketball, another very popular sports competition tool amongst the students at SIS, March Madness takes place for just few weeks, drawing heavy attention during its brief occurance. As a result, every game are intently watched and cheered on.

“When I found out about March Madness for the first time, basketball felt like a whole new sport.” Said Andrew Cho (10), an avid participant of March Madness every year. “Since I always loved watching basketball and analyzing the players and teams, I was thrilled to find that March Madness amplified my passion for the game. Since I create my own bracket and teams to trust, I suddenly become a fan of multiple teams that I cheer for. The energy and hype of March Madness kept me going the whole tournament.”

As March Madness comes to an end, there will be some SIS teachers and students proudly carrying around their brackets, while there will be others crumbling the paper into to a ball. Due to the nature of the tournament there will be losers, but the energy and fun of the tournament invites them again every year.