The sports world has been embroiled in one episode of outright lunacy after another in recent weeks. From Russell Westbrook morphing into the Highlander to the ongoing mess that is NFL free agency, there’s so much going on in the world of sports that keeping up has become a workout in it of itself. I haven’t even made a peep about the excitement surrounding the Mayweather-Pacquiao mega fight, the circus of nuttiness that is the Champions League, and the ongoing Cricket World Cup (shout out to the fellas over there in Oz!). You could say that my sports calendar looks like a grocery list by now, and yet, I know that I still need to keep enough space for the biggest sports spectacle of the month.

March freakin’ Madness.

See, there’s a reason why March is dominated by college basketball and it boils down to two things: rooting interest and gambling. I didn’t go to any of the schools that are likely going to the tournament so that first part is of little interest to me. The second part, though, is where I’ll be taking a lot of action, boss.

Gambling is such in an ingrained part of March Madness that a lot of people from all walks of life gamble on the tournament without even knowing that they’re doing it. Yes, those office pools and bracket wagers generally involve monetary transactions, making them a form of gambling. But that’s beside the point. What’s important is that March Madness is arguably the most important sporting event for any sports book in a calendar year…and that includes the Super Bowl.