Women and (March) Madness

It’s that time of year. Yes, the birds are starting to chirp and the crocuses are peeking their little colorful heads up through the dry, brittle grass. This, I am very excited about. But what has me even more excited at this exact moment is a different kind of spring fever–the college basketball kind. It’s March Madness baby and I’m hooked.
Game after game, March Madness means watching hungry, passionate college basketball players give their absolute all to try to stay in the tournament. As if that weren’t reason enough to be hooked, it seems like each and ever frickin’ game manages to come down to some last minute shot or over time (or series of them). They’re all heartbreaking and exhilirating at the same time. The worst is when I actually catch one of those sappy personal profiles on one of the players (like a player for Siena whose dad has MS but makes the eight hour trip to the games anyway). Then his subsequent loss can literally bring me tears.
Yeah, that’s right–his. I haven’t seen one women’s NCAA game.
What is our responsibility as feminist consumers when it comes to women’s sports? Am I an asshole for getting so excited about men’s March Madness but not making an effort to watch women’s games? The path of least resistance is obviously just watching the dudes’ games–after all they are publicized, televised, discussed, bet on, and celebrated. But have I just been jumping on the band wagon? Can I get as excited about watching women’s basketball without all the ancillary hype?
Thinking out loud here, but would obviously love your thoughts sporty gals…
Oh, and for an incredibly offensive p.o.v. on the subject, check out 670, a Chicago-based radio station. Thanks to reader Matt for the heads up.

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