The hot topic of the moment in the world of sports is, undoubtedly, March Madness. The Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament is any sports fan's Shangri La. And this year's version has not disappointed. In fact, this year's tournament is perhaps the craziest and most capricious ever. Upsets have abounded, games have been classics, and expectations have been obliterated. In no case is this more evident than in the little team that could, the George Mason Patriots. A controversial at-large selection for the field of 64 (yes, 64, not 65) and a number 11 seed, all the Patriots have done is defeated, in succession, Michigan State, a 6 seed and a participant in last year's Final Four; the young but talented Tarheels of North Carolina, a 3 seed; Wichita State, a fellow "Cinderella" team; and most shocking (pun intended, if you see it) of all is the Patriots' thrilling overtime win over the heavily favored UConn Huskies, a team most people expected to win the National Title. The great thing about March Madness is the "one and done" format. UConn and Mason could lock horns a hundred more times and Connecticut would come out on top perhaps the next 99 times. All you need, however, is the one. For a team like George Mason to advance to the Final Four, the pinnacle of college basketball in itself, is tantamount to breaking through the proverbial "glass ceiling" of both expectation and possibility. Similar to the University of Utah's run to an unprecedented BCS berth in 2004 (though, sadly, college football still doesn't have a playoff...,) the Patriots run this year has validated the hopes of all the "little guys" of college athletics. Indeed, George Mason, speaking on behalf of all those "little guys," has said, simply, "give us but a chance." The Patriots have indeed made the most of that chance. It is important to note that an 11 seed has made it to the Final Four once before. In 1986, LSU advanced to the national semifinals. But the Tigers are a team from the powerful Southeastern Conference, with near-limitless resources and facilities. George Mason, out of the far-from-elite Colonial Athletic Association, has truncated opportunities in terms of recruiting top talent. I for one have become a George Mason fan this year. It is ultimately irrelevant if they win in Indy at all. Just to make it there is a victory in itself.
One additional college basketball note: has there ever been an occurence in the world of sports as overblown as the so-called "dunks" of Candace Parker of the Tennessee Lady Vols? I'm all for equality in general, especially in sports, but when things like this are considered "earth-shattering" women's sports are turned back twenty years every time. Much like Lisa Leslie's "dunk heard 'round the world" in the WNBA a few years back, this non-event has been lionized into a Rosa Parks-esque happening in terms of social significance. I am not a huge fan of women's college basketball, but I respect it for what it is. And, the corollary, I reserve the right to disrespect it for what it is not. And what is not is men's basketball. To reach true equality in this world we need to shed the shackles of "political correctness" to which things like this are bound. To say that Candace Parker "dunking" is what it really is, insignificant, is not p.c. But it gives women's sports more respect by not glorifying side-show efforts instead of actual achievements.
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