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Change in perspective During troubled times, appreciate virtues of the tournamentPosted: Thursday March 20, 2003 1:43 AMUpdated: Thursday March 20, 2003 11:47 AM
About the time air-raid sirens were first heard over Baghdad on Wednesday night, I was having a telephone conversation with someone about whether Butler could beat Mississippi State. Suddenly the topic didn’t seem quite as important as it had the prior 72 hours. Nor did it for the rest of the evening as images of empty streets and anti-aircraft fire filled the TV screen. So what happens today? What will this strange new situation be like, mixing our nation’s most thrilling sports event with the most serious of circumstances? These past few days, my and many hoops enthusiasts’ biggest concern about the impending war was, to be perfectly blunt, how it would affect television coverage of the tournament. Pretty shallow of me, I know, but when brackets and bubbles have long since become a staple of your internal clock this time of year, it’s hard for you to imagine anything trumping them.
That is, until you see those first images of war and realize it’s real. This is not to say they shouldn’t be playing the NCAA tournament. Myles Brand was absolutely correct in saying we should “not let a tyrant determine how we lead our lives," and, as long as it’s deemed safe, the games should do on. But don’t be surprised if, at least for a couple days, that’s easier said than done. No matter one’s political beliefs or opinions, no one’s going to be able to divert their attention from CNN for too long this weekend. Basketball fans are no different. It’s just that they’re going to be flipping back and forth between war updates and Marquette-Holy Cross. This isn’t a bad thing, mind you. No one should be made to feel guilty for watching basketball in these times. In fact, I can think of few events better suited for serving as an agreeable diversion. This is not the Super Bowl, with its frivolous debauchery. This is not the Oscars and its overt superficiality. The NCAA tournament may be just a sporting event, but it celebrates many of the same virtues that the country reveres -- hard work, competition, excellence. And, most notably -- triumph. Sure, these triumphs pale in comparison to the ones currently being sought in the Middle East. But those are what make these triumphs possible. There’s a reason we’re captivated every year by Cinderellas like Valparaiso and Kent State. They symbolize, in the athletic arena, the same things we strive for in our day-to-day lives -- overcoming obstacles to achieve a dream. Whichever teams become this year’s versions may find, in the short-term, their accomplishments muted. Our enjoyment of them may be as well. But suffice it to say, our appreciation will be at an all-time high. Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com. Got a comment, question or scoop for Stewart? Click here.
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