Why March Madness can be both a joy and a danger

The first games of March Madness 2025 kicked off last night with Alabama State winning a close game over Saint Francis (PA) and the University of North Carolina soundly defeating San Diego State. UNC was, perhaps, the most controversial of the tournament’s final selections but earned their spot in the field of sixty-four and will go into their match against higher-ranked Ole Miss on Thursday as the favorites.

And for most people, tomorrow’s games are when the tournament will begin in earnest, as that’s when brackets start to count. An estimated 80 million people are expected to participate, making March Madness one of the most ubiquitous sporting events of the year. And whether you’re a die-hard basketball fan or can barely name a single player in the tournament, most of us could use some help in making sense of the possible selections.

That’s where I, your humble internet aggregator, can offer a bit of help from history. (And, for any of my coworkers participating in this year’s Denison Ministries bracket challenge, please kindly skip ahead to the next section.)

Without further ado, I present a few notable facts—that may or may not have anything to do with what will actually play out over the next three weeks—courtesy of ESPN’s Keith Lipscomb:

• Only one of the past ten champions came from the conference with the most bids. That’s bad news for any of the record fourteen teams from the SEC that made it into this year’s field.
• At least one top-four seed has lost in the first round in fifteen of the last sixteen tournaments while a number fourteen seed has won only twice since 2017.
• If you’re a fan of Cinderella teams, you may want to look to the eleven seeds, as they’ve had a representative in the Sweet 16 in eight of the past ten years.
• Conversely, if you prefer to stick with the one seeds, know that all four have made the Elite Eight just once in the past fourteen tournaments. If you choose the right one, though, you could be in luck as thirteen of the past seventeen champions started the tournament atop their side of the bracket. 
• And, finally, when choosing your champion, you may want to give the KenPom rankings some serious consideration. Named after Ken Pomeroy, a former meteorologist turned professor and basketball prognosticator, the KenPom rankings use advanced statistics to rank teams based on a host of factors. Since he began tracking the league in 2002, all but two of the tournament’s champions rated in the top 20 in his metrics for both adjusted offense and defense.

So with those tips in mind, I wish you the best of luck as you fill out your bracket and chase the fleeting glory of claiming victory over the friends, coworkers, and random strangers with whom you might compete in this year’s March Madness. 

However, the truth is that many people will have more than their pride on the line when the first round begins. And for all the fun that the tournament offers, it presents a cautionary tale as well.

“The person’s reward system is hijacked”

While March is perhaps best known for the NCAA Tournament, it is also Problem Gambling Awareness Month. It is estimated that roughly $3.1 billion will be wagered on this year’s games; a staggering amount that represents a 13.8 percent increase over the $2.7 billion that was bet last year. 

While much of the increase seen in previous years was due to more states legalizing gambling, no such additions were made this year. Instead, that extra $400 million is the result of an industry that continues to grow more pervasive, more accepted, and more addictive for an ever-increasing percentage of the population. 

Since gambling was legalized in the United States seven years ago, Americans have wagered $500 billion on sports alone, with as many as 20 to 40 percent of adults taking part at least once in that period of time. While many of those adults wagered illegally or via offshore gambling prior to that point, it still likely represents a dramatic increase. 

Now, none of that means gambling is inherently wrong or sinful. That may be controversial to say, and I know that many Christians would disagree. And that’s alright. This issue is not central to our salvation, and there is room for competing views so long as they are held with grace and a prayerful submission to the Lord’s guidance.

That said, just because gambling is biblically permissible for some does not mean that it is for everyone. To paraphrase Paul, just because something is lawful does not mean it’s helpful (1 Corinthians 6:12).

When done responsibly and seen in the same vein as buying a movie ticket or concert pass—money paid for an experience without the expectation of getting it back—gambling can be fine. However, that can be a difficult mentality to hold when the highs and lows of winning and losing start to become more prevalent. 

Studies have shown that, when that happens, gambling can become just as addictive as drugs, alcohol, or any other vice. As licensed counselor and chemical dependency specialist Yancy Grimes described, “the person’s reward system is hijacked.” 

And the Bible has quite a bit to say about that. 

A sin for me may not be a sin for you

A principle that pervades much of Scripture—both Old Testament and New—is that we are responsible for our sins, regardless of the reasons why we committed them. This truth is most often expressed in stories and direct warnings regarding the dangers of drunkenness. 

Whether Lot with his daughters (Genesis 19:30–38), Noah and his sons (Genesis 9:20–27), or Paul’s explicit warning against getting “drunk with wine” (Ephesians 5:18), the Bible is clear that avoiding sin becomes much more difficult when we allow anything other than the Lord to drive our thoughts and actions. 

What makes resisting such temptations more difficult is that people tend to have different weak spots where they are particularly vulnerable. 

We should not waver in our opposition to the sins Scripture clearly condemns. However, in other cases, what is a sin for some may not be a sin for others. That makes the conversation around gambling, alcohol, and a host of other subjects tricky as we tend to be absolute where Scripture is more nuanced. 

I’ve never struggled with alcohol because it’s just never really appealed to me. However, gambling has always held a much greater attraction. That’s why I won’t be betting on this year’s tournament or sporting events of any other sort; not because doing so would be a sin for everyone but because it would be for me.

Again, I won’t judge those who do—so long as they do it responsibly—but it’s not hard for me to see myself getting fairly far down that particular path to addiction without realizing it. 

What sin is like that for you? What are the weak spots to which you are particularly vulnerable? 

All of us have areas in our lives where sin can take root quickly, and knowing how to spot yours is the best way to keep the Enemy from taking advantage of them. 

So take some time today to ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand where you’re most likely to fall into sin. Then ask him to help you take the necessary steps to flee from those temptations before they get close enough to grab you. 

I promise it will be easier to walk away now than when your foot is hovering over the trap.

Will you let God help you do that today?

Quote of the day:

“If your head is made of butter, don’t sit near the fire.” —Martin Luther (attributed)

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