Are your brackets ready for March Madness?

Ahh, March!

At this point, we assume that we have survived the worst that winter had in store for us, MLB spring training has been in full swing since mid-February, and the mania, hysteria, and craziness that comes with March Madness begins the middle of the month. Here is a complete March Madness schedule for the 2020 NCAA tournament, including the Final Four and NCAA championship game in Atlanta.

Selection Sunday —March 15, 2020
First Four — Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17-18, 2020
NCAA Tournament Round 1 — Thursday, March 19, and Friday, March 20, 2020
NCAA Tournament Round 2 — Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, 2020
Sweet 16 — Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27, 2020
Elite 8 — Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29, 2020
Final Four — Saturday, April 4, 2020
2020 NCAA championship game — Monday, April 6, 2020

While watching the deluge of games, have you ever wondered how many college athletes make it to the pro’s? Here’s the estimated probability of competing in professional athletics broken down by sport.

Baseball: 35,460 participants, 9.8% will make it to the pro’s
Men’s Basketball: 18,816 participants, 1.2% will make it to the pro’s
Women’s Basketball: 16,614 participants, 0.9% will make it to the pro’s
Football: 73,557 participants, 1.6% will make it to the pro’s
Men’s Ice Hockey: 4,229 participants, 6.9% will make it to the pro’s

At one time, many of us aspired of making it to the pro’s in one sport or another, but those are not good odds! You have a better chance of being called to “Come on Down!” on The Price is Right (1/36 or 2.8%) than making it professionally in basketball or football. Sorry for being a Debbie Downer!

In addition to the high level of skill at the professional level that limits advancement of these athletes, there are also many injuries that may prevent a lot of these players from ever making it to the top.

In basketball, the most common injuries include.

Ankle Injuries: Ankle sprains and stress fractures
Hip and Thigh Injuries:Deep thigh bruises (contusion)
Knee Injuries: Patellofemoral pain and more serious ligamentous injuries such as ACL sprains/tears
Wrist and Hand Injuries: Jammed fingers
Head and Face Injuries: Cuts to the face

As willing participants and spectators of our beloved sports, we come to expect some injuries and/or aches/pain, knowing that they cannot be avoided entirely. When an injury does occur, we as physical therapists, are then tasked with directing and managing the recovery of those injuries. And, although there is more focus being placed on prevention, often there is more that can be done preventatively to lessen the likelihood of those injuries occurring.

Physical Therapists are movement experts when it comes to the human body and we are well trained to not only treat your injury, but also decrease the likelihood of an injury occurring by identifying possible sport specific deficits.

Whether dreaming of making it to the NBA or running your first 5k in the Fargo Marathon, continue to DREAM BIG!

If you have suffered an injury or are looking at things from a preventative standpoint, we would love to help! Feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have and enjoy March Madness!