BLACKSBURG, Va. – While a tournament run without Kitley is not what Hokie fans wanted to hear, the excitement for March Madness continues to build.
Year after year, the nation is swept with over a month of basketball tournaments.
I talked to a sports media professor at Virginia Tech about the yearly tournament, and he said there are a couple of factors that play into it.
“Tradition is one,” said Anthony Amey. “I mean it’s something we’ve become accustomed to. So almost 40 years of this current format, it’s become a tradition. It’s something we’ve grown used to.”
He said in many ways, you can compare the love of March Madness to the Super Bowl.
“The Super Bowl and March Madness are almost one-two in terms of events that bring us all together,” said Amey. “We know that everyone has some form of rooting interests even if you’re a casual fan.”
He also said with the rise of sports gambling, it’s added a whole new layer to sports.
“For the NCAA Tournament, it was $15.5 billion bet on the tournament a year ago,” said Amey. “I’ll be very curious to see where that number is, especially with the increased legalization of sports betting. “
Anthony also said that one in four people in the United States placed some kind of bet on the NCAA Tournament in 2023.