The art of March Madness

While the Sports section may hate me for saying this, March Madness is one of the most artistic events of the year. Individuals across the nation spend hours, no, days, carefully selecting their players, laying out a plot and following their slam dunk finish. Each bracket is a plot line, a prediction, a dream and a hope. Without getting too "High School Musical," it appears that during March Madness, the jock is indeed also the drama geek. 

Before the NCAA tournament challenge begins, anyone is encouraged to create their own unique picture of how the games will transpire. The emphasis on creation and individuality is unlike most other sports events. During the Super Bowl, everyone does the same thing -- drink beer and eat appetizers. During Wimbledon and the US Open, tennis fans just watch and wait to see who will emerge a winner. While during NCAA March madness, experts and die hard fans alike participate in the magic through creating a bracket. There is a low bar for entry – creating an account is free – and few people look at others individual selections. You can have a secret dream, a free dream. Everyone can practice, much like with art. For example, with singing and dancing, not everyone will be picked for the choir or the dance team, but everyone still can sing and dance. They may not be good at singing, and they may only sing in the private of their shower, but when they open their mouth and sing, it brings them joy, and no one can take that from them.

In March Madness, you are never ridiculed for choosing an unlikely team. While between friends there is natural teasing and jesting, especially if money is involved. In the bracket challenge, people respect bold and illogical choices based solely on gut instincts. This is how actors in a cast operate, when someone is trying on their character. Bracket creators widely accept that when crafting a bracket, you often choose based on heart rather than logic.

Really, if you listen to the broadcasting of any of the March Madness games, you will hear them say “heart” and “mad at himself” and “hope” and other emotion descriptor words at least as much as descriptors of history and skill.  What commentators care about, and notice, is the emotion of the players.  And the emotion of the players is what enables them to perform exceptionally well and defy odds.  Similarly, emotions are what makes art powerful and sincere.  One popular and well-known acting technique is method acting, which focuses on getting the actor to imagine and possess the emotions and thoughts of their character.  In rap, the best art comes from rappers who have experienced hardship, seen hardship or have felt things deeply, all of which create real emotions.  Much of the best music is rooted in true, raw emotion.  The performances of NCAA athletes in March Madness, superior to that of the team’s performance throughout the entire year, are empowered and strengthened by emotions and desires.

In the same way, we are inspired by watching our team persevere. We follow them from start to finish of their journey through the highs and lows. We experience the joy of perseverance and the sorrow of loss. In a sense, sports provide a cathartic opportunity to feel the rawest of emotions. In the same way, art instills emotions in its viewers, and gives them an opportunity to cry and laugh at loud about issues in a safe context. While not directly related to a viewer’s life, the events and emotions that come through the March Madness tournament and art provide methods of emotional release. A come from behind win, a great move, a crucial three-pointer, all of these show the emotion that makes great art.

And as we mourn the early loss of Duke in this year’s tournament, might we be reminded that like a Greek tragedy, or Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet," tragedy hurts like crap, and loss hurts. And while art that makes you hurt isn’t always as pleasant to watch, this art is just as important as euphoric art, because we learn about what we value and care about. And once we have grieved, flowing through all stages, we move forward with perspective, empathy, and inspiration for the future. And losses make the “happy endings” that much sweeter. Each tournament is a play, the following year is the sequel, and we hope Duke comes back next year in a inspirational, heart-throbbing saga. Because as they say in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," “Everything will be alright in the end. And if it’s not alright, it’s not the end.” Duke basketball is fairytale story, with our heroes and anti-heros, wise sages, sworn enemy, and devoted followers, and like all good fairytales, it will eventually end happily ever after.