NCAA Men's Basketball Stimulus Package

It's hard to watch anything but ESPN right now. There's little joy out there which makes me look forward to the NCAA Basketball tournament even more. America loves its college basketball and this year it's expected to be huge not only because March Madness is a growing phenomenon, but because we need an escape. We need a break from bailing out banks, and stock drops and earmarks and talking points. We need to sit back and watch kids play for the joy of the game.

The teams start in places like Greensboro, North Carolina playing in the Greensboro Coliseum. Play continues to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. The tournament ends at Ford Field in the Motor City. Thirteen venues from all across America will host March Madness. Who benefits? The restaurants around the venues, the hotels that host the team and their fans, the parking vendors, the concession sellers, the ticket companies, transportation services and the everyday workers in the venue and around the city. I like thinking about that.

What city couldn't use a little stimulus package right about now? Over 700,000 fans expected to attend the games. Ford Field in Detroit expects 80,000 crazy March Madness fans for the final games. Good news for a city that needs good news. Millions will watch the games on television and still more will view the games streaming on their computers. Whatever way you tune in, let March Madness be your distraction for all the craziness going on in the world. Check out a game, enjoy a venue, get in on an office pool, root for the underdog, root for the top dog, and enjoy. Reality will be waiting when the Madness stops.