From the Desk of the Superintendent

Win or Lose, March Madness Is Full of Life Lessons for Kids

You don’t have to be a sports fan to appreciate how the annual NCAA basketball tournament — also known as March Madness — offers some memorable life lessons for viewers.

First, there’s the joy of being included, or the pain of falling short.

Every year, the tournament invites 64 college basketball teams to compete for the national title. If you watch the annual selection show on TV, which is when the tournament’s brackets are revealed, you’ll get to see several teams react on camera as they find out what they’re ranked, who they’ll be playing against, and where. For teams that were “on the bubble,” which means they only had about a 50-50 chance of being invited, it almost doesn’t matter to them what their tournament ranking is; what really matters is that they got in at all. By comparison, seeing the reactions from the teams who didn’t get invited is also powerful, but for a very different reason. Watching their dreams come to an end gives us both a heartfelt lesson in empathy and a humbling reminder that sometimes life simply doesn’t go our way.

Next, there’s the power of preparation.

One of the most exciting aspects of the NCAA tournament is the fact that on any given night, a lower-ranked team can upset a higher-ranked “better” team. Since the tournament follows a one-and-done format, the winner moves on to the next round and the loser goes home. Each year, teams ranked among the top of the field get knocked out early by smaller, scrappier, harder-playing teams with underrated skills and lots of heart. Seeing underdogs beat favorites is a thrilling experience, because it reminds us that victory is always possible, no matter the odds. And while many teams lose thanks to lucky last-minute shots, what happens far more often is that the winners simply outplay, outcoach, and outwork their opponents. This just goes to show that with enough preparation, skill, and confidence, any David has a chance to defeat a Goliath.

Finally, there’s the life-changing lesson of stepping up.

The student-athletes who compete in the NCAA tournament are playing in front of a nationwide audience, often against much more talented and experienced opponents, in games where the pressure has never been higher. To win, they need to dig deep and find the grit, determination, and bravery it takes to meet that pressure head-on. When this happens, the results can be epic. Almost every year, an unsung player from an overlooked college or a bench player who rarely gets playing time ends up going on a hot streak, powering their team to victory, and writing themselves into the glorified history of the NCAA tournament. Their efforts might even get them drafted into the NBA, where they can play at the highest level, all because they proved that when the chips are down they know how to step up and do what it takes to win.

Whether you’re a lifelong college basketball fan or you’ve never seen an NCAA tournament game in your life, I encourage you to watch a game or two with your kids this year. Talk about the effort you see from both teams, how they handle the pressure, and how they react in victory or defeat. You never know what kind of inspiring observations and lifelong lessons your children might take away from watching some of the country’s best athletes give it their all for one shining moment of success.