I guess there’s a reason they call it March Madness.
Watching the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball games, I’m struck by how different the game feels from what we played as kids in P.E. class.
Besides being taller (w-a-a-a-y taller!) than most of us were, these young men and women are tougher. More aggressive, even.
Sure, there’s a lot riding on the outcome of their games. Prestige, trophies, money, commemorative rings, bragging rights.
But what’s with those other changes?
- Chest-bumping. The guys don’t have a corner on this market; even the women are getting into the act, slamming themselves up against one another after somebody does something commendable. I know they probably wear those binding sports bras, but I cringe every time they do it.
- Tattoos. Again, you kind of expect to see some of the young men sporting tattoos, but when the women start falling into that fad, I shudder. Isn’t it enough to have small tattoos that can be concealed? Why must they decorate their entire arms with graffiti? I mean, one day some of these people are going to be working in offices, banks, legal firms, medical plazas. Might they (or their employers) regret their “artistic” indulgence? Besides, I’ve got to confess that the unadorned arms, in my opinion, look cleaner. Just sayin’.
- Traveling. Taking even one step with the ball without dribbling was considered a traveling foul for us in P.E. Now we see players take huge lunging leaps toward the goal, and the refs seem unfazed.
- Penetration. Why is this word a sports announcer’s favorite word? You always hear the male announcers use it — you can hardly watch for five minutes without hearing it — but now the females are coming on board with it. They almost make it sound nasty.
- Clock. The NCAA doesn’t use an automated clock for these championship games. Surprised? So was I when I read about it this morning. All of the teams who get to the championship level are good. Real good. And they deserve to have their contests monitored by something other than a timekeeper and a stopwatch. Especially when a first-class timing system wouldn’t cost much and would eliminate so much confusion.
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
Pingback: The Big Dance (via Musings by an ND Domer’s Mom) « Change is Never Ending
You are such a jock. I’m so impressed!
When I was working in human resources at a K-12 school district, there came a time when we had to start overlooking face metal, tats and weird earlobe-stretching studs, because it was so common and you couldn’t afford to let talent walk out the door just because they looked so – creative. We drew the line at scaring the children, though!
I can appreciate your dilemma! That’s just one of many reasons why I prefer to run my own business and not hire a staff — even if I have to remain a small business. Some of those young people are so talented they’re sure to go far, tats or not! But I sure hate to see those full-lobe piercings.
I love basketball –I watched UTEP-EL Paso take the championship when I was a kid. My uncle was friends with a lot of the big time players and it was all so exciting for a little kid-it stuck with me. Having said all that my lack of knowledge about the game is stunning. I get traveling but like you said–traveling has changed. I will never get tattoos but that is just me and by the grace of God and maybe a little blackmail my kid will never get it either.
These days, I mostly watch my kid play some very casual high school games at a very small high school and get my fill of yelling get your hands up rebound and GO GO GO.
If you bet on a team…I hope your brackets held strong and your wallet grew larger.
♥
Oh, I never bet on something over which I have no control!! My son loves basketball — all sports, really — but with Notre Dame, Illinois, and Texas all out of the men’s competition, we’re running out of teams to support. Maybe Butler or BYU — definitely not Duke or UConn!
Debbie, I love March Madness! I always wanted to play basketball but back then (you know , the real Dark Ages of my school days !) girls didn’t play basketball. But I got to cheer on both my kids through high school and college basketball games. And I agree with Lynne- you are such a jock. I’m right there with you- but I will stop a the chest bumps!!
I read that one of the players (a girl, no less) wears a man’s size 18 shoe and stands 6’8″ tall. How in the world does she find clothing to fit???