March is a transition month. It is a transition into spring break, a transition into the final quarter of school, a transition from winter to spring. But amidst all the monotony is one of the biggest, most exciting, an unpredictable sporting events of the year. It is known as March Madness, the 68 team NCAA basketball tournament.

But March Madness makes the month of March so much more enjoyable. It is the perfect segue to the homestretch of the school year.

I personally made three unique brackets in an attempt to predict the outcome of all 67 games. Nobody has ever picked a perfect bracket in the tournament’s long history, but that doesn’t stop most from trying. This year alone ESPN had 13 million brackets entered by users.

We all have high hopes for our favorite teams to beat the odds and cut down the nets in April. We care so deeply about our teams and want to see them succeed.

But why do we do this? Why do we cheer for a team? Why do we care about a group of individuals that we’ve probably never met? Why do we feel so sad after a loss? So happy after a close win?

All across the world people participate in sports fandom. There are many who question our fanaticism over a group of athletes we have probably never met, and fairly so. But the reason can be different for all of us.

We may like sports because of self esteem benefits. We may like sports because it can be visually pleasing. We may like sports because they are an escape from real world troubles. We may like sports because they make us feel like we belong.