I have never been that interested in basketball. All of my friends would get very excited for March Madness each year and I couldn’t understand why. However, this year I am actually enjoying March Madness. I still don’t really care about basketball, but the games provide a reason to get together with friends and eat a lot of food.

With all of the social aspects of March Madness, basketball can become an afterthought. Whenever I go to someone’s house to watch a game with my friends, we spend more time making conversation and grilling burgers than actually watching the game.

Of course towards the end of the second half, the attention will generally shift back towards the game for a little while. Some actual talk about the game is bound to occur at this time, but you should be able to chime in as long as you can see which team is winning. Occasional comments such as: “Looks like a close game” and “That was a good shot” will help solidify the illusion that you know what is going on.

When the game ends, people will talk about specific things that happened. During this time you will just agree with what everyone is saying and nod your head. Comments such as “I noticed that as well” and “I agree” will be helpful in this situation. Luckily, this part of the tradition will only last for a few minutes, then everyone will go back to eating and talking about other things.

Anyone can participate in March Madness as long as they enjoy spending time with friends and eating food. Of course, you will also have to be prepared to add in some input during the 30 minutes that people actually watch and talk about the game.