Moms with March Madness

The college basketball season is official over and congrats to UNC on claiming the title (insert shady emoji here) for 2017!  It was a horribly long and ref whistling induced game but if you are a fan of the game like my Momager friends you watched to the bitter end.  My #BlueDevils suffered an early exit from the brackets but there's always next year right?

Speaking of brackets I'll have to give kudos to Ashley Willis, a mom that knows how to pick em!  Ashley had UNC as her fav to win the tourney.  Out of my 4 bball mama friends she was the only one To Go All The Way [said in my Dick Vitale voice].  Trust me it's not easy picking a winner when it comes to bracketology, for myself my bracket was busted the first round BUT I was a 50%er when it came to the Final Four.  Unlike some of my fellow bracket playing mamas I don't use a system to figure out who's going to win.  I normally go with seeding and team likeability and mostly geographic location.  As an example Laura Fantroy roots hard for the Spartans because she's a Michigander while Christa Miller is a die hard LA girl and picked UCLA to take the crown.  I'm sure Lavar Ball was happy about that one.  If you don't get that reference then you need to up your game girl and hang with my Mommie Fab Four.

Take for example Cristina Aruta, mom of Whittier PG Jacob Aruta.  She gets so deep in bracket play that her knowledge gained her a winning of $500 in an office pool one year.  Her other reward was being shunned by the men in the office from future play.  Where they do that at?  When can the ladies get some RESPEK on their names? 

After talking with my Fab Four here are some stats that stood out to me about bracket play:

• 100% of the moms use a formalized system to choose brackets.  You name it NCAA, CBS, ESPN and the USA Today systems were used.  Electronic systems are favored.

• There really is no formula for selecting winners.  Mom Ashley fell into it because she had no other option but to watch so she joined in on the fun and now makes sure she watches till the final game. 

• Why we play.....It's a bonding experience for moms with their mates and other family members. 

• Biggest upsets this year were Duke and Villanova.  

• Most of us don't know what conference our favorite team is in.

• We all watch a variety of sports BUT college is by far our favorite.

• Let's just say trash talking isn't just for the fellas.

No matter if we picked a winner or not, it's uber fun participating in one of the most loved sports activities of the year.  I'm certain that next year each of my Fab Four as well as myself will once again take on the challenge and gain bragging rights for our favorite teams win or lose.  It's March and the Madness isn't just for the guys, us moms are gaining our rightful spot as bracket masters and we won't be denied.  See ya in 2018 and Go Blue Devils!!!!