March Madness

Bring on the Springtime! The Sweet Sixteen is finally here. About time, this dirty snow is killing my motivation. I haven't even checked but can you bounce a basketball on a clear court outside or does a pickup game still have the chance of getting broken up over a snowball fight?

At least there is youthful excitement on the television. Look at the fans pictured above, does fandom get any more hardcore? Powdered wigs, painted chests or sunglasses covering the red eyes of a pale albino? I don't know but that picture is the essence of March Madness. Looking behind the front row of March maniacs is where you saw me seated in my UMass days. Sure, I give the body painted fans credit for showing their allegiance but I was happy to sport my team's colors in t-shirt form. 

Nothing better than picking up a school's shirt that you will cherish for years to come. Like t-shirts from the merch table of a memorable concert, t-shirts are able to capture the good memories. I wasn't lucky enough to support a Marcus Camby at UMass but at least I can tell you I did see some great games with Anthony Anderson, a little known Boston-bred point scorer. I know I also upped my personal b-ball game while sporting UMass basketball shirts on the courts of Boyden Gym and the Southwest horseshoe. 

School t-shirts also are great conversation starters. I never knew a t-shirt would have found me fellow Minutemen alumni while living on the sunny beaches of San Diego. I even ran into an older couple that bought me breakfast in Kansas because their daughter was currently attending UMass Amherst. 

What is also cool is that the t-shirt can evolve. Sure it might have had short sleeves for the balmy Spring days of Boston but what good are sleeves for the warm Spring days of Mission Beach? Heck, my UMass shirts are still in my drawers but maybe a future Chocolate Lab puppy can be proud to rock the Maroon & White colors of my college days?

No matter your team of choice, whether pro, amateur or college show your support by wearing their t-shirts. I might even order a Florida Gulf Coast shirt to show my support for the Cinderella underdog this year. It would have been better if Harvard made it to the 16, I think I have one of their tees lying in the drawer below my future UMass doggie t-shirts ;)