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Tuesday 23rd March 2004
NCAA March Madness Pools
If the copy machine at work is out of toner, or the paper is running low, check the calendar – it must be time for March Madness. With NCAA tournament office pools going into full throttle over the next few weeks, college basketball fans are coming out of the closet with NCAA Tournament pools consistently being won by village idiots. That's right, I never win. Instead, it's some guy who never played a day of basketball in his life or it's your neighbor's wife who picked the winners based on uniform
colors. You, the basketball fans, never win. But you are joining thousands of law-abiding citizens, opening up your wallets and pursues to participate in the NCAA basketball tournament betting pool. Are these pools illegal? Can you be prosecuted for e-mailing them or faxing dozens of friends or co-workers and inviting them to join in?
Most forms of gambling, including NCAA tournament betting pools, are illegal in nearly all states. (The law often exempts certain licensed charitable organizations, such as churches that sponsor raffles; of course some states allow casino gambling and sponsor lotteries.) In Vermont, however, residents can legally participate in NCAA tournament pools. I love this State. I think the governor should run for president, oh that's right he is already. The NCAA tournament of March Madness is just what the doctor ordered for
thousands of sports fans who are in withdrawal since the Super Bowl brought closure to their weekly fix of wagering on sport. The tournament offers, even for the novice fan, an opportunity to wager on the one of the most exciting events in all of sports.
The NCAA March Madness tournament is spearheaded by the March Madness Pool. Here is how it works: The contest requires each contestant to select a winner for every game of the men's NCAA basketball tournament. The entire tournament is filled out in advance of the tournament commencing. For every correct winner chosen, the contestant earns points. The deeper into the pool, the more points awarded. The contestant with the most points at the end of the tournament wins. Should the contest end in a tie, the total points from the final game will be used as a tiebreaker. Should a team be disqualified or a game not played for any reason, the team that is declared the winner in the official NCAA tournament shall be declared the winner in the pool.
This is how almost all the pools are operated. The only exception is that the pools run over the Internet, usually require that any individual be at least 18 years of age of older. And there is always a disclaimer on the Internet stating that the contest is void where prohibited by law. And speaking of be prohibited by law, Bill Saum, the NCAA's Director of Gambling Activities knows he can't catch everyone - but he'll take his best shot. Saum said he believed that wagering on pool like the NCAA tournament has made gambling more socially acceptable. He now sees that attitude trickling down to college students and athletes. And of course, how can he forget Washington football coach Rick Neuheisel being fired after participating in a high-stakes NCAA basketball tournament pool and lying about it. And on the upside, it is well known that a number of high school math teachers use NCAA tournament pools as part of their curriculum. The NCAA has a real battle on its hands against gambling, but putting an end to March Madness tournament pools just ain't going to happen.
Now on to the tournament and why so many people are addicted and willing to participate in the pool each year: First of all, for a team to win the tournament it must survive the most fantastically flawed six-game event in sports anywhere. The best college-age-players are in the pros (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony) with no clear-cut player of the year. There are no all-time great teams or dynasties. This is nothing but the democratic process at work, almost half the field is capable of making a run at the sweet sixteen and a few more are capable of winning it all.
Now you can see why the first round on Thursday and Friday is like watching
Gene Hackman coach those boys from Indiana. Overtimes and buzzer beaters are almost a regular feature for first-round upsets. This year's tournament should provide more shockers and upsets than ever before in the history of the tournament. The parity in college basketball has made this tournament the most closely matched in history. This is truly March Madness at its best.
Now, have I made it little harder for you to pick your winners? Well, how about some more confusion: the March Madness formula. The annual 'Selection Sunday' ritual features ESPN's Dickie Vitale telling you how some team on the bubble got screwed by the selection committee despite the fact they won 20-plus games. Yet, they are handcuffed by a system that allows bad teams to get hot and win a precious spot in the 65-team field by winning their conference tournament.
So, what's the biggest reason for the huge ratings of the NCAA tournament? I will tell you flat out it's the March Madness office pools that hook people who can't name one starter from my sleeper final four team Providence. Can you? But here is the craziest part of this March Madness event: interest is higher on the first two days than on the last. The million of fans who lose in the pools lose interest in March Madness. As usual the people watching the finals are real basketball fans. See you at the game.
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Source:OnlineCasinoNews
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