An Open Letter to the Ladies: Regarding March Madness

Happy Monday! This is post 1 of 2 today. This is not the sequel to yesterday's post, but I promise I will get to that later. This is just something I wanted to write. An open letter to any ladies who feel that March Madness is just...Madness. Grab some coffee/tea/hot chocolate, and settle in. And please remember, that these are just suggestions. 

Dear Ladies, 

Hi! I hope you all are enjoying (or viciously hating) your snowy day. I know I'm loving mine. My morning probably mirrors your own: Had some cereal, I checked my email and laughed at a spam message, said good morning to my boyfriend, checked Twitter, scrolled Facebook, bragged about my college's men's and women's soccer teams, turned on SportsCenter and checked my NCAA Tourney Bracket....wait...you didn't do those last three things?

Oh...well, It's March, the month of Madness. The month of brackets, Tournament Challenge and office pools. The month were men go crazy because it's that awkward middle time between the Superbowl and Opening Day. The selection of sports in this downtime is limited. Hockey, NASCAR (ha!), NBA, random golf classics, and College Basketball. It's like the downtime some women are suffering right now between "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette." Our choices are American Idol, which is terrible this year, and The Voice which we only watch for Adam Levine (come on, you know it's true.) 

As someone who has always loved sports, but also enjoys reality dating shows, I'm here for you. I'm here to provide support, answer questions, and give some practical advice on how to survive. 
Here are a few tips: 
Ask questions. If you have no idea why Florida Gulf Coast has ruined so many brackets this tournament (don't ask me, I don't want to talk about it), ask. Your boyfriend will have an earful to say about that. Trust me. Ask why Duke has made it this far in the tournament when several people didn't have them making it out of the second round. You can take these questions and use them verbatim...I don't mind. 
Fake an interest. Faking isn't always bad. But faking an interest in March Madness is not for the faint of heart. If you really hate basketball to the point of wanting to jump off a cliff, don't try this. But if you can tolerate it, I suggest you pick a team (Florida Gulf Coast and Louisville are good options), and throw whatever sliver of energy you have into supporting that team. It is also fun to cheer for whatever team is playing against the team your boyfriend is supporting. Pay close attention to the commentators, listen for a last name, and then just cheer that player on to victory! Remember the saying: "Fake your way to the top, and it'll feel real coming back down."
Give it the old college try. If you're indifferent, but open to watching a game, give it a shot. Try it by yourself first. There are four games on Thursday, and four games on Friday. If you find it interesting, tell your guy you're ready for the next step: watching a game with him. If you decide to do that, refer to my last two tips. Additionally, watching a few minutes of SportsCenter (on ESPN) never hurt anyone. You might be surprised at what you learn. Also, some of the players and young coaches in this tournament are kind of cute. So, that can always be your motivation. But we can keep that between us. 

There is also the option of just cuddling up with a book or browsing Pinterest while he watches the game. Smile and nod a lot when he says "yes!!" (That counts as trying AND faking an interest!) 

And if you hate sports with a fiery passion, disregard this. This is just the opinion/advice of a girl who has spent over 24 hours watching basketball in the last four days. So, what do I know, right? 
Anyway, I hope you all survive with whatever method you think is best! Have a lovely day!

Shine Bright, 
-s.

PS: don't let the title "March Madness" deceive you...it's not over until April 8th.