March Madness

March Madness, written by Michael T. Foley. Focus question, what makes March Madness so popular in the United States?

《疯狂三月》，作者：迈克尔·T·福利 焦点问题：是什么让疯狂三月在美国这么受欢迎？

the maddest time of the year, March Madness. The name says it all. In March 1939, this college basketball tournament began with just eight teams. Over the years, the tournament has grown, but it still sweeps across the country every March, and it's still crazy. In fact, with 68 teams playing in a single elimination tournament, anything can happen.

一年中最疯狂的时刻，就是疯狂三月。 光听名字就知道它有多疯狂啦。 1939年3月，这场大学篮球锦标赛刚创办时，只有8支队伍参赛。 这么多年过去，赛事规模越来越大，但它依然每年三月席卷全美，热度依旧疯狂。 如今一共有68支队伍参加单败淘汰制锦标赛，任何事情都有可能发生。

now or never. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, runs college sports in the United States. Since 1939, the NCAA March Madness Tournament has included some of the greatest basketball talents of all time. Many professional athletes perfect their skills in college. So it is no surprise that the path to professional basketball goes straight through the March Madness tournament. The National Basketball Association, NBA, includes many past March Madness players. NBA stars Shaquille O 'Neal, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Stephen Curry, and many others first showed their stuff in the NCAA men's tournament.

机不可失，失不再来。 美国大学体育协会，简称NCAA，负责管理美国的大学体育赛事。 自1939年以来，NCAA疯狂三月锦标赛走出过无数史上顶级的篮球天才。 很多职业运动员都在大学期间打磨了自己的球技。 所以通往职业篮球的道路必然经过疯狂三月锦标赛，一点都不奇怪。 美国职业篮球联赛，简称NBA，有很多球员都曾参加过疯狂三月。 NBA球星沙奎尔·奥尼尔、"魔术师"约翰逊、拉里·伯德、斯蒂芬·库里等等，都最早在NCAA男子锦标赛中展露了身手。

Yet for most players, college is the final stop in their basketball career. For them, the chance for basketball glory is now or never. NCAA athletes are full -time students who do not get paid. They play for the love of the game. Players have been known to collapse onto the floor and burst into tears at the end of a game. Sometimes it's out of happiness. Sometimes it's out of sadness. Either way, their fans love them for it.

但对大多数球员来说，大学就是他们篮球生涯的最后一站了。 对他们而言，争夺篮球荣耀的机会真的是机不可失。 NCAA的运动员都是全日制学生，不会领取薪酬。 他们打球是因为热爱这项运动。 大家都知道，比赛结束后常有球员瘫在地板上，突然哭出来。 有时候这是喜极而泣。 有时候这是难过落泪。 不管是哪一种，球迷们都因此深爱他们。

How the Madness Works The path to the March Madness Championship is long and difficult. As of 2016, teams are grouped by region into 32 conferences of different sizes. All the teams want to play in the tournament, but only 68 make it each year. So, how are the 68 teams chosen? The winners of each of the 32 conferences automatically qualify for the March Madness Tournament. The remaining 36 teams are chosen by a 10 -person committee. Its members vote on a Sunday a few days before the tournament.

疯狂三月赛制解读 通往疯狂三月总冠军的道路漫长又艰难。 从2016年开始，参赛队伍按地区分到32个规模不同的联盟中。 所有队伍都想打进正赛，但每年只有68支队伍能拿到名额。 那么，这68支队伍是如何选拔出来的呢？ 32个联盟的冠军可以自动获得疯狂三月正赛的参赛资格。 剩下的36个名额由一个10人委员会选出。 委员会成员会在锦标赛开始前几天的一个周日进行投票。

The Bracket Racket March Madness has become one of the most popular sports events in the United States, even among people who aren't sports fans. In large part, this is due to the fun of filling out a bracket, a grid, of all the teams in the tournament. People fill out a bracket to predict who will win each game and move on to the next round of competition. A bracket shows the path a team would have to follow to reach the championship game. Millions of people around the country fill out a bracket every year. Some like the safe bet and choose the best ranked teams, while others love rooting for the underdogs. Almost everyone is trying to beat somebody else, family and friends, co -workers, or strangers online.

预测对阵表的热潮 疯狂三月已经成为美国最受欢迎的体育赛事之一，哪怕不是体育迷也会参与。 这很大程度上是因为填对阵预测表太有意思了，对阵表就是一张列出所有参赛队伍的表格。 人们填预测表来预测每场比赛的胜者，看谁能晋级下一轮比赛。 对阵表会标出一支队伍要打进总冠军赛需要走的晋级路径。 每年全美都有数百万人填写预测表。 有的人求稳，选排名最高的队伍，有的人就喜欢支持不被看好的黑马。 几乎每个人都想赢过其他人，不管是家人朋友、同事，还是网上的陌生人。