Sean Gallagher

Everyone complains about January taking too long, February is short and cold, but then there’s March, where the weather gradually gets warmer, the days longer, and after some down-time following the Super Bowl, sports really start to pick up again.

Now, to be fair, there are more than enough basketball and hockey games to keep us occupied, but when March rolls around, they just mean more with the playoffs getting closer, and brackets make their return for what consider the best time on the sports calendar.

What really makes this month special is March Madness. College basketball, both men’s and women’s, have not disappointed. From the occasional upsets, court storming controversies, to Caitlin Clark’s historic career at Iowa soon coming to an end, there’s been something for everyone. The regular season is sunsetting, with conference tournaments coming up, followed by the two-straight days of wall-to-wall basketball when the NCAA Tournament starts.

The long-time tradition of filling out a bracket, with the more recent addition of legalized sports betting in states across the country, people will be looking to cash in with a 10 or 12 seed pulling an upset, whether in their bracket or rolling the dice on a spread, or for the truly bold, the moneyline. By the end of the first day of round one action, some will be looking at a clean bracket and larger balance, while others are forced to take a red pen to their bracket and seeing the leg that looked like a lock ruin their parlay.

Then there’s professional sports, which we forget about for a few days when March Madness begins, but for those with a rooting interest, they’re watching their basketball or hockey team look to secure a higher seed or just fight for a playoff spot as April nears.

That’s the case for me and my Pittsburgh Penguins, who last year missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons, and to prevent it being consecutive seasons with no spring hockey, they need a strong run in March, which was a staple for the team when they were true contenders.

There’s also spring training baseball, with Opening Day coming up at the end of the of month.

So let’s rejoice that we have a bunch of important basketball coming up, with some of us able to take a four-day weekend, while others pretend to work on the first two days of the NCAA Tournament. Don’t forget St. Patrick’s Day.

All of this kind of makes up for not having any paid holidays in March.