By Rivers Hughey
The Selection Committee’s official rankings of the 2025 #MarchMadness field! 📝 pic.twitter.com/rjITJ42jWg
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2025
March Madness has always felt different. It’s one of the few sporting events that truly belongs to everyone. There are always a few wild upsets, so no matter how much you think you know, you never really know. That’s the beauty of it—it’s unpredictable and chaotic.
One of my first memories of being fully engaged with the tournament dates back to the early 2000s when my dad would print out articles from ESPN’s Page 2 for me. One of my favorites was by Bill Simmons, featuring his wife, the Sports Gal, making her March Madness picks based on everything except basketball logic: “UCLA over Xavier: In the long run, little schools with religious names don’t have a chance against big schools with big acronyms.”
I adored it. It was the perfect mix of humor, sports, and pop culture—everything I loved. It also validated something I had long suspected: I like sports vibes more than I like actual sports. And March Madness is nothing but sports vibes.
March Madness Is Christmas for Sports Fans
March Madness is like Christmas, but instead of presents, you get to take vacation from work so you can sit on your couch and/or a sports bar for 48 to 72 unbothered hours. Santa Claus (Uber Eats) delivers wings to your door, and the moment the first wing hits your mouth truly is One Shining Moment.
There’s a sense of togetherness in those first few days—no matter where you’re watching. It’s the one time of year when everyone, from diehard basketball fans to people who pick their bracket based on mascot fight potential, comes together in a shared experience of absolute mayhem.
March Madness in Vegas
As I got older and came of legal gambling age (though I’ve still never technically placed a real bet), my dad started taking me to Vegas for the first weekend of the tournament. A father and daughter bonding moment at its finest.
If you ever want to witness pure, unfiltered hope, go to the Vegas airport on the Wednesday before the opening games. The sound of slot machines and smell of artificially pumped oxygen fills the air. There are groups of men aged 25 to 55 proudly donning their best vintage sports apparel, and then there’s me, a 30-year-old-ish woman in their midst. (Ladies, if you’re looking for a unicorn moment, skip the dating apps and head to Vegas in March, unless, of course, you’re not cool with losing your future partner to a rotating cast of college basketball players every March.)
March Madness Vegas is not Vacation Vegas. It’s not Bachelor/Bachelorette Party Vegas. Games start at what feels like sunrise. There have been many mornings when I watched the sun rise over the western horizon because my dad was too anxious to let us sleep past 6 am. What did that famous band sing once? “There’s a feeling I get when I look to the West.” I wonder what ever happened to them?
The first stop was always Westgate, home to a watch party in the same theater where Elvis once held court in the ’70s. Cheap hot dogs and stale beer at 9 a.m.? What more could a girl ask for? The days blur together as you hop from sportsbook to sportsbook, bonding with strangers over point spreads, buzzer-beaters, and prop bets.
The camaraderie is unmatched, a beautiful mix of unhinged energy and sports knowledge you didn’t even know you had. It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to being in a cult, except the Kool-Aid is laced with parlays and middle-aged men debating who knows the most about Larry Bird.
The Sunday Scaries in the Vegas Airport
By Sunday, you regret not leaving on Saturday. The Vegas airport that felt so hopeful a few days earlier is now a wasteland of lost bets, empty wallets, and men questioning every life decision they’ve ever made. I won’t say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, because the internet saw everything you did, but your money certainly stays there. Unless, like me, you were only there for the sport-adjacent vibes and morning hot dogs.
The Madness Always Wins
So if you’re debating filling out a bracket or booking a last-minute Vegas flight, consider this your sign to do it. And if you don’t know who to pick, the one seeds are always a safe bet. As the Sports Gal once said, “I know, a No. 1 seed over a No. 1 seed. Not very creative. But, as Bill says, that’s why people like me always win office pools.”
Looking for basketball picks from someone who actually knows what they’re talking about? Check out our Sports Betting page.
