College Basketball Tournaments Lift Student Spirit
2021-04-04
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1The American college basketball tournaments known as "March Madness" look a little different than they used to.
2There are very few fans watching the games in person.
3The players stay in safe areas called "bubbles" in the states of Texas and Indiana.
4But at least the games are happening.
5Last year, the tournaments were just about to start when the United States closed all public events to stop the spread of COVID-19.
6The college tournaments include over 60 teams made up of college students.
7There is a tournament for men and a tournament for women.
8In U.S. cities with large colleges and universities, people would go out to eat, drink and watch the games on television.
9When the tournaments were canceled last year, students were also sent home.
10Some students have yet to return to campus.
11Others came back to a very different college life in autumn.
12They needed to stay apart from each other.
13They took classes by video call.
14They could not spend time with friends or eat in large dining rooms.
15Colleges, like the rest of the country, were trying to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
16Group activities are a big part of the college experience.
17And students whose universities had good basketball teams in 2020 lost out on one of those experiences:
18cheering for their schoolmates in the tournaments.
19Shane Hoffmann saw this at the University of Oregon.
20He is a sports writer for The Daily Emerald, the student newspaper.
21He said last year, the Oregon women's basketball team might have won the tournament.
22Three Oregon players were among the first eight players chosen by the professional teams of the WNBA, including Sabrina Ionescu, the first pick.
23Hoffmann called it "a huge bummer" to see the college basketball tournaments canceled.
24"It did seem very, very gloomy. I think people realized that was the last time they were able to see that phenomenal, phenomenal Oregon team, which is probably going to go down as one of the best ever."
25This spring, things are a little less gloomy for Max Witty, a student at Syracuse University in central New York.
26Witty said watching the games on television was a fun activity for students and others.
27"It gives us a sense of maybe we are getting back to normal, maybe one day we can have that big game, maybe one day we'll be able to sit and watch it with a huge crowd in The Dome, who knows?"
28"The Dome" is the large building at Syracuse where 30,000 fans can watch the games and cheer for the team.
29Watching games there was one of the reasons Witty chose to go to Syracuse.
30Syracuse recently lost to the University of Houston to end its season.
31But for a couple of weeks, Witty said being able to watch the games with a small group of friends was a "pick-me-up" after a difficult year.
32Thomas Kollie is in his second year at the University of Alabama.
33The school, in the city of Tuscaloosa, is known for its winning football team and the 100,000 fans at the games.
34Kollie said he missed attending football games last year.
35With COVID-19 restrictions, very few were permitted at the games and he could not get in.
36This year, both the men's and women's basketball teams were in the college tournaments before losing in late March.
37Life in Tuscaloosa has also been different compared to 2020.
38Streets in the city have been filled with fans watching games as the state removed gathering limits.
39In his fraternity house, Kollie has been watching sports events with as many as 25 friends.
40"Now, like, actually being able to gather and watch the basketball games without fear of how many rules we're breaking, that's really cool. Because you're not sitting in constant fear about the cops coming and kicking everyone out in the middle of a game, or something like that."
41Hoffmann went to Indianapolis, Indiana to write about the Oregon games.
42He said seeing the whole sports world shut down last year was "depressing."
43But now, he is excited to see fans from all over the U.S. coming to see the games.
44He said seeing families out in the city, wearing the colors of their favorite teams, made it seem like the U.S. is taking "a step in the right direction to ... normalcy again."
45The final games of the college basketball tournaments are played on April 4 and 5.
46I'm Dan Friedell.
1The American college basketball tournaments known as "March Madness" look a little different than they used to. There are very few fans watching the games in person. The players stay in safe areas called "bubbles" in the states of Texas and Indiana. 2But at least the games are happening. Last year, the tournaments were just about to start when the United States closed all public events to stop the spread of COVID-19. 3The college tournaments include over 60 teams made up of college students. There is a tournament for men and a tournament for women. In U.S. cities with large colleges and universities, people would go out to eat, drink and watch the games on television. 4When the tournaments were canceled last year, students were also sent home. Some students have yet to return to campus. Others came back to a very different college life in autumn. They needed to stay apart from each other. They took classes by video call. They could not spend time with friends or eat in large dining rooms. Colleges, like the rest of the country, were trying to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. 5Group activities are a big part of the college experience. And students whose universities had good basketball teams in 2020 lost out on one of those experiences: cheering for their schoolmates in the tournaments. 6Shane Hoffmann saw this at the University of Oregon. He is a sports writer for The Daily Emerald, the student newspaper. He said last year, the Oregon women's basketball team might have won the tournament. Three Oregon players were among the first eight players chosen by the professional teams of the WNBA, including Sabrina Ionescu, the first pick. Hoffmann called it "a huge bummer" to see the college basketball tournaments canceled. 7"It did seem very, very gloomy. I think people realized that was the last time they were able to see that phenomenal, phenomenal Oregon team, which is probably going to go down as one of the best ever." 8This spring, things are a little less gloomy for Max Witty, a student at Syracuse University in central New York. Witty said watching the games on television was a fun activity for students and others. 9"It gives us a sense of maybe we are getting back to normal, maybe one day we can have that big game, maybe one day we'll be able to sit and watch it with a huge crowd in The Dome, who knows?" 10"The Dome" is the large building at Syracuse where 30,000 fans can watch the games and cheer for the team. Watching games there was one of the reasons Witty chose to go to Syracuse. 11Syracuse recently lost to the University of Houston to end its season. But for a couple of weeks, Witty said being able to watch the games with a small group of friends was a "pick-me-up" after a difficult year. 12Thomas Kollie is in his second year at the University of Alabama. The school, in the city of Tuscaloosa, is known for its winning football team and the 100,000 fans at the games. Kollie said he missed attending football games last year. With COVID-19 restrictions, very few were permitted at the games and he could not get in. 13This year, both the men's and women's basketball teams were in the college tournaments before losing in late March. Life in Tuscaloosa has also been different compared to 2020. Streets in the city have been filled with fans watching games as the state removed gathering limits. 14In his fraternity house, Kollie has been watching sports events with as many as 25 friends. 15"Now, like, actually being able to gather and watch the basketball games without fear of how many rules we're breaking, that's really cool. Because you're not sitting in constant fear about the cops coming and kicking everyone out in the middle of a game, or something like that." 16Hoffmann went to Indianapolis, Indiana to write about the Oregon games. He said seeing the whole sports world shut down last year was "depressing." But now, he is excited to see fans from all over the U.S. coming to see the games. 17He said seeing families out in the city, wearing the colors of their favorite teams, made it seem like the U.S. is taking "a step in the right direction to ... normalcy again." 18The final games of the college basketball tournaments are played on April 4 and 5. 19I'm Dan Friedell. 20Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 21Would you like to see a college basketball game in person? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 22_________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24tournament -n. a sports competition or series of contests that involves many players or teams and that usually continues for at least several days 25bubble -n. a group created during the pandemic that prevents new people from entering 26schoolmate-n. someone who goes to or went to the same school as you 27pick-n. someone or something that is chosen 28bummer -n. something that is unpleasant or disappointing 29gloomy -adj. causing feelings of sadness 30phenomenal -adj. very good or great : unusual in a way that is very impressive 31sense -n. a particular feeling : an emotion that you are aware of 32fraternity -n. an organization of male students at a U.S. college 33cool-adj. often used to show approval in a general way 34cops -n. police officer