As the weather warms up and the season transitions from winter to spring, sports fans are experiencing one of the best times of the year.
In the span of only a few short weeks, college sports fans have enjoyed the craziness of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to follow. The tournaments begin with the release of the fields in early March, which leads to a feverish scramble to fill out brackets before the games’ tip-off days later.
There isn’t a firm strategy for filling out brackets; winning your bracket pool requires the perfect blend of luck and skill. Oftentimes, people who select matchups based on their favorite logos have better luck than those who have followed the sport all season long. Filling out brackets is a rite of passage for sports fans and non-fans alike, and it brings folks together every March.
This year’s tournament was absolutely captivating, from the miracle run of 15-seed Saint Peter’s to a Hollywood-esque Final Four that pitted Duke against fierce rival North Carolina in what amounted to the final game of Mike Krzyzewski’s legendary coaching career.
Additionally, plenty of other games came down to the wire in a tournament that certainly didn’t lack drama. I knew as soon as Notre Dame and Rutgers went to overtime in the First Four that it was going to be a tournament for the ages.
Midway through March Madness, the puck drops on the NCAA men’s hockey tournament. While overshadowed by its basketball counterpart, the hockey tournament is never short on storylines and thrilling action.
Last year’s tournament saw an intense five-overtime battle between Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota, while this year’s Frozen Four features a Minnesota program that is vying for its first championship since 2002.
This year, the same day as the Frozen Four semifinals also played host to the opening round of The Masters and Major League Baseball’s opening day.
While the drawn-out lockout that plagued the winter delayed baseball’s opening day in a special circumstance this season, the start of the new season on Thursday was nonetheless a welcome change of pace from talks of collective bargaining.
Perhaps my favorite of all these events, though, is The Masters. Come for the golf and stay for the beautiful scenery that Augusta National Golf Club has to offer. After a long, harsh winter, seeing images of flowers in full bloom in eastern Georgia is the official start of a new season.
And then there are motorsports! The springtime is the perfect time to be a racing fan as NASCAR, Indycar and Formula 1 are in full swing during their respective seasons. The NASCAR Cup Series has seen seven different winners in its first seven races, while new aerodynamic regulations have brought the F1 field closer together than ever before.
F1 is exploding in popularity in America, and its inaugural Miami Grand Prix on May 8 has added an additional layer of excitement to the highly-anticipated season.
High school and college spring sports are also in full blossom, which adds a nice local flair to the presence of the larger events outlined above. I always advocate for local sports, so don’t hesitate to catch a few innings of baseball or softball at an area high school this spring.
Spring truly is a special time in the world of sports.
