Dear friends...
It is time. NCAA March Madness has begun, and the department is once again
organizing a bracket tournament ~with prizes~. Jump to the end for
directions on how to participate! But before that, enjoy the following
explanation of this time-honored tradition from our resident sports guy
Camden Elliott:
March Madness is Decadent and Depraved
Sporting events are (and perhaps more particularly, betting on them is)
built on ritual and superstition.
College Basketball in this country is a lot like the professional game.
Three pointers reign supreme, the court is the same size, and the referees
never seem quite sure of what a travel is. The only real differences are
they play 2 halves instead of 4 quarters, they have 6 extra seconds on the
shot clock, the three-point line is closer, only 5 personal fouls get you
ejected, and the athletes are (for the most part) unpaid.
Every year 68 teams get to go to the “Big Dance.” Our students actually
have the chance to make the tournament, at least the ones that play
basketball (although this year Princeton is in instead). 32 of those teams
won their conference (hence Princeton); only about 8 of the conferences are
good enough to expect much (keep a close eye on the Big 12, who is sending
8 of its 10 members to the Big Dance). The other 36 “bids” as they’re
colloquially known are passed out to teams who, despite losing their
conference tournament, are deemed good enough to play by a selection
committee made up of sports journalists and other (non) luminaries. Teams
are awarded a “seed” when they are named to the tournament ranging from 1
(the highest, and thus, best) to 16 (the lowest) and there are four of each
seed. The last 4 teams have a play in and won’t amount to much.
I remember reading an article some time that argued the reason why soccer
hadn’t caught on in America—at least not as a spectator sport, god knows
enough children play it—was because Americans love an underdog and in top
flight soccer the better team almost always wins. March Madness is not like
that. Well not really. It is single elimination, so the better team
certainly doesn’t always win. But there are a few rules. One seeds don’t
lose to sixteen seeds, except that one glorious game where the Retrievers
beat the Wahoos like they stole something. It wasn’t even close. There’s
always supposed to be a 5-12 upset. Beyond that there is not much to go by.
The emergent “science” of Bracketology is little more than divination by
sports shouting blowhards.
Basketball, like many other sports, tracks so many statistics that the
would-be gambler has seemingly infinite resources at their disposal. When I
was a kid there were 5, 6 stats tops. No matter how meticulous one is in
their research, you will be proven wrong. No one has ever filled out a
perfect bracket. You will not be the first. And there will always be
miracles, a Cinderella run that busts everyone’s brackets like Davidson
with Steph Curry or Butler or those aforementioned UMBC Retrievers. Fans
live and die with their teams (figuratively and, in Sister Jean’s case at
Chicago Loyola, maybe literally).
For schools, it’s big business. Even a March madness appearance, much less
success in the tournament, can increase applications and enrollment
numbers. Then there’s the merchandise and TV deals. And now that American
sports have made a full-throated investment in gambling, join us in part of
the $9 billion+ wagered annually in the event.
So partake in this strange American tradition and fill out a bracket. You
pick teams you expect to win as they advance through cleverly and
alliteratively named stages like the sweet sixteen, elite eight, and final
four. Knowledge about the sport not required (and, in most cases, only a
hindrance).
*Now, some directions:*
1. follow this link
<https://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2023/en/group?redirec…>to
ESPN's tournament challenge site for the men's bracket
and this link
<https://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket-women/2023/en/group?e…>for
the women's bracket (you are encouraged to make brackets for both!)
2. click "create a bracket now"
3. create a free ESPN account (if you don't already have one)
4. make your picks! this is easier to do on a big screen
5. *join our group "History x Harvard x Hoops" - password: robinson*
6. watch the ~madness~ play out starting tomorrow (first four) or Thursday
(main pool)!
**brackets can only be submitted before the round of 64 begins on Thursday**
Bonus: the department is providing a Coop gift card and new history tote
bag to the winners of our brackets!
Here are some resources for those of us who have not experienced March
Madness before:
What is March Madness?
<https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/bracketiq/2023-02-07/what-march-ma…>
Information on each of the women's teams
<https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/35829437/womens-n…>
Information on each of the men's teams
<https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/35806362/every-team…>
Please reach out with any questions! And good luck!!
Go 'cats,
Annie
--
Annie Boniface
PhD Candidate, History
Harvard University
Hi all,
We’re excited to announce that on Friday, April 7th from 3-4 PM, we’ll be hosting an open house on digital tools and research methods with Dan Smail, Gabe Pizzorno, and CODES.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re drowning in PDFs or as though there’s just got to be a better way to do things on your laptop, this is the event for you. On the flip side, if you have a set of research methods that work really well for you, please come share! And if you have thirty extra seconds and let us know in advance of problems or questions you have so we can be sure to address them, please fill out the very short Google form here<https://forms.gle/ZHjAeuf3BPicF2rZ8>.
My best,
Emma
Hello,
Thank you all for volunteering to run the HGSA book fair during this coming
week. Volunteering is usually very low effort and the books tend to
"sell themselves."
There are certain obligations that volunteers have, however, and it will be
helpful to review them before your shifts this week. I am attaching
tomorrow's shift schedule below!
If you have any questions, just text me.
SKP
*If you are volunteering during any time:*
- SHOW UP ON TIME PLEASE!
- Monitor to make sure customers are not just taking books
- See if certain sections are thinning out and restock accordingly
- Check cash box to make sure we have an adequate amount of change
- Keep an eye on the cash box
- ALWAYS have someone "on duty"
*If you are volunteering for the 10 AM - 11 AM shift:*
- Arrive at 9:45 AM to see if more books need to be brought down
- Bring cash box down from the Graduate Student Lounge
- Occupy wooden table and put up "check-out" sign
*If you are volunteering for the 3 PM - 4 PM shift:*
- Announce that the book sale is wrapping up
- Bring cash box and signs into closet of Graduate Student Lounge
- Text Sanjay (9732703492) to confirm that cash box is in lounge
Hi all!
This week's happy hour will be* Today** at 5:30 pm* for recruitment week.
Please see the schedule Annie sent out for information on today's
recruitment week events.
Happy recruitment week!
Hi all!
This week's happy hour has been rescheduled for *Thursday at 5:30 pm* for
recruitment week.
Please see the schedule Annie sent out for information on recruitment week
events.
Another reminder will go out tomorrow morning.
Happy recruitment week!
Dear all,
I write to graduate students in history and allied fields. The department
is planning an inter-generational speaker/panel series on environmental
history (meaning undergrad, grad students, postdocs, and faculty in
conversation) for next year. If you're an interested graduate student,
please email me with a brief description of your research/interests. Let me
know if you have any questions.
All the best,
Cam
--
PhD Candidate in History, Harvard University
Hey everyone!
Join us in the Grad Lounge from *4pm-5pm today* for our *Queer
History/Queer Student Social hour* - everyone is invited (allies + friends
included)! Help us welcome our potential new students with some wine +
snacks ♡
✿ See you all soon! ✿
Warmly,
Saffron
Hello friends!
I write with a reminder and an encouragement to attend today's Student of
Color Social at 3 p.m. in the lounge!
One of our excellent coordinators Sudarshana Chanda wants to emphasize that
this is a safe space for the students of color community and their friends
and allies. AND that there will be samosas, chai, and gulab jamun !!
Tasty treats, community, and welcoming potential students -- an ideal
afternoon ❤
--
Annie Boniface
PhD Candidate, History
Harvard University
