As evidenced by some of the comments I’ve received over the years, I have come to realize that the majority of Death and Taxes’ loyal readers don’t share my unbridled enthusiasm for professional, collegiate, high school and youth sports. However that’s not going to stop me from ranting on my favorite day of the year, and incessantly attempt to covert you like an obnoxious Jehovah’s Witness.

Even if you aren’t a diehard sports fan there is no denying the mass appeal of March Madness. Unless you live in a cave, it is virtually impossible to avoid the NCAA tournament. Commercials will infiltrate your television and advertisements will haunt your daily commute and favorite periodicals. Your favorite bar will be playing college basketball on a 24/7 loop. Your co-workers will be streaming games on their laptops in their cubicles. Your girlfriend filled out a bracket based solely on team colors or cuter mascots. Your favorite indie website won’t shut up about it.

Avoiding March Madness takes some serious blinders and way too much effort. So take a break from swearing at Santorum, grab a Coors Light (don’t cringe craft beer snobs) and join the party. Even if you hate how seriously fans like myself take petty sporting events there are plenty of interesting story lines and betting lines to keep your interest.

If you’re a fan of the Old Testament or underdog stories, today and tomorrow will feature plenty of David versus Goliath match-ups. Some large universities will have yearly sports budgets higher than their opponent’s endowment. Undersized teams and un-recruited stars will become household names. And those buzzer-beaters everyone talks about are actually really exciting.

But even if you don’t enjoy the game itself there are myriad of other reasons to join in the madness. Maybe your alma mater is participating in the round of 64, and since you can’t afford to donate your hard-earned money, you can show your support in other ways — by consuming numerous beers while watching them play. If you hate your former school for putting you in immense debt, air your frustrations and viciously root against them.

Okay, so you don’t give a shit about underdog stories and you can care less where your degree is from — gamble. Betting on sports can make cricket seem interesting. If you have any monetary value on the outcome of an event then you’re probably going to care.

If winning a large sums of money doesn’t interest you (cough-Communist-cough), there’s always beer. Oh yes, there will be beer. Nearly every freedom-loving bar in the country will have some kind of special to help fuel the revelry. Plus, Saturday is St. Patricks Day, where everyone’s an alcoholic Irish.

So join me in a weekend of filled of beer-slugging, alma mater-cheering, underdog-loving and frivolous betting. Trust me you won’t regret it.