Layup Luddite? You can still get in on the Madness

Not everybody likes sports. Actually, come to think of it, there are plenty of reasons to hate sports. Maybe you think athletic programs divert valuable funds from art and humanities programs. Maybe your home country's democratic government was deposed during a particularly zealous soccer riot. Maybe you just have a lot of traumatic gym class memories of being forced to eat AstroTurf by hulking jocks.

Whatever your reason for not liking sports, it's OK. Just try to keep in mind that not all sports are created equal. Just like drama students wouldn't want everyone to judge their art based on one bad production of "Cats," sports enthusiasts don't want you to condemn their pastime based on some unpleasant prior experience.

This is especially important to keep in mind when it comes to March Madness. The NCAA Basketball Championship, pitting the nation's best college teams against each other, is different from the ordinary routine of sports watching. When the fans are mostly fellow students, and the teams are made up of aspiring athletes rather than established professionals, the experience has a different feel.

"March Madness changes dramatically every year. Even if you don't know anything about the teams, it's fun to root for your school," said Drew Bligh, a 2nd-semester biomedical engineering major.

Bligh says that while he's not usually a huge sports fan, he enjoys watching March Madness with his friends and family. He gets to make friendly bets and cheer on teams with people he's close to.

College sports are a good way to bring people together. With a campus as enormous and diverse as UConn, it's hard to find anything to unite people. Everyone's interests and priorities are just too different. And since it's doubtful that everyone's going to start camping out for tickets to the Chemistry Club barbecue any time soon, getting caught up in some basketball excitement is a good way to feel connected to a wide variety of students. No one's saying you have to be that loud guy with the face paint and the big foam finger, but there's no harm in checking out a game.

"The games are fun because they build a sense of community," said Eliza Caldwell, a 6th-semester English education major.

Caldwell says that, while she normally doesn't watch sports, she really enjoys the March Madness enthusiasm she sees from students and fans, especially at women's games.

And not only can March Madness help build a more friendly, sociable community, it may even help, in a small way, to correct for some of the inequalities associated with sports.

"I think it's cool that everyone's excited about the women's team, not just the men's team," said Kristina Dolce, a 6th-semester English major.

Dolce, who says she only started attending basketball games to satisfy a sports-crazed dad, has found herself becoming a strong supporter of the UConn women's team.

"Female athletes rarely get the same appreciation or interest that men's teams get," she said. "The lowest paid NBA player is still paid way more than the highest paid WNBA player. But people root for our women's team."

It's true that female college athletes don't have the same opportunities to look forward to as men. According to Women's Basketball Online, the 2009 WNBA maximum salary cap is $97,000. Meanwhile, according to the basketball news site Inside Hoops, the minimum required salary for 2009 starting NBA players is $457,588. Professional women's sports just don't draw the same numbers as men's sports, so female players don't enjoy the same rewards as their male counterparts.

But as depressing as this fact may be, it also means that student support for our college women's teams is all the more important. Cheering on the women's team as they trample the competition shows that you, and your school, value the talent and dedication of your female athletes.

"People say women's games aren't as exciting as men's because they can't jump as high, or they can't slam dunk," said Dolce. "But I think they're more exciting because they have to rely more on teamwork and strategy than just being super tall."

So don't force yourself to watch sports if you know you'll never care. But don't judge experiences you haven't tried firsthand. Everyone can benefit from visiting a cultural center or trying out an a cappella concert. And anyone can enjoy the excitement of being part of a community cheering on two of the best basketball teams in the country.