Mad about March

It's that time of year again... March Madness. The time of year when productivity goes down around the country as everyone calls in "sick" or tries to sneak peeks at the game(s) in between spreadsheets. Fortunately for me, I work in the type of office where it is perfectly acceptable for us to have a giant flatscreen on the wall tuned to the ESPN at all times. As journalists we're supposed to keep up on the news, and well, basketball is the only news half the country cares about right now. Forget the healthcare vote, we want to know how the heck Murray St. managed to beat Vandy and how Iowa managed to beat Kansas(which pretty much destroyed the brackets of everyone in the country). The first round was pretty fun. The average game was decided by less than five points, and the BYU vs. Florida game (2OT!)was the best BYU basketball game I have ever seen. We watched it in the newsroom, and by the time we went into our second round of overtime we didn't care that broadcast was recording next door- we were all yelling. Of course, not everyone in the newsroom was grouped around the TV with baited breath. Most of the girls were at their desks, calmly going about their work while the fate of BYU basketball was played out on the national stage. This explains why when I say I went to a basketball or football game and guys ask me how it was, they are completely thrown for a loop if I say anything more astute than "We, like, won!" Come on, girls. Stop accepting traditional gender socialization and start realizing that it's okay for women to be interested in sports, too. If you have a problem with the sweat and other un-feminine aspects of actually playing sports, it is still okay to know that football has quarters and basketball is played in halves. An NCAA bracket is not any more complicated than the stars' love lives, and understanding it gets you a lot more respect from the guys. If you're not in it for the game and can't keep all the rules straight, you should at least be able to remember the names, numbers and positions of various handsome, manly men with large muscles who frequent such events as the Superbowl and March Madness. That way, when a guy says he's dreaming of sweet sixteen, you'll know it has nothing to do with age. Next year, maybe...