March Madness is a national phenomenon that most Americans take part in. It’s a basketball tournament that starts off with 64 teams, then 32, then the sweet sixteen, elite eight, final four, and the NCAA Championship. 

Sophomore Blair Shroyer has a lot of fun and gets a bit competitive, even if there aren’t any stakes for her personally. 

 “It’s just like, I don’t have to watch it. I can just be like, ‘Oh, how’s my bracket doing?’ And it’s a fun way to like, interact with people during it, since I don’t watch it,” Shroyer said. “I pick [who wins] based on three things. I pick colors, names/mascots, and vibes.” 

Some people are more competitive than others, and even put prizes on the line but not all people are in it just for the money. 

“I would say I sometimes kind of do my own research, but just kind of seeing things and hearing things online, like how teams are looking, and I also watch a lot,” sophomore Mason Morris said. 

Students aren’t the only people who participate in March Madness, as it’s a huge part of the teachers’ lives as well, due to the students talking about it so much and the fact that they might also like college basketball. 

“I pay attention to seating and records, and then if I have time, I’ll look at, you know, who they actually played during their season,” English Teacher Hillary Kisker said. “Because sometimes you can have a really good record, but if you were in a conference that wasn’t very good, then that doesn’t really mean that much, but mostly I look at it since I don’t follow them that much during the season, I mostly just pay attention to seeding.”