What is March Sadness?

Sports betting fans are clamoring and asking now what is “March Sadness”? This is the replacement of March Madness the greatest month in Basketball where the collegiate teams face off against each other.

So how did we get here to March Sadness with College Basketball Games being re-scheduled, the NBA season being postponed or cancelled till further notice, and MLB Spring training now delayed.

According to our friends over at the Morning Brew.

The NBA put the brakes on the Utah Jazz Player Rudy Gobert who we reported in our breaking news room for testing positive for the coronavirus. In a statement, the league said it “will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.” What was weird is that the team members were mocking the virus days before March Sadness hit.

• This has never happened before and this is not like 9/11 or the Great Recession. The NBA has billions in revenue at stake through TV deals, ticket sales, merch, and more. No one is quite sure what’s going to happen next, including commissioner Adam Silver. So we sit back and wait for new betting opportunities to arise from this.

College Basketball Stopped For Men & Women

The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be played to empty stadiums as a precaution but Duke & Kansas said they’re not willing to play at all. “Only essential staff and limited family attendance” will be allowed, said NCAA President Mark Emmert.

Zoom out: The Division I men’s basketball tournament generates $868 million annually on tv and marketing and don’t forget the betting impact from Vegas to Jersey sportsbooks.

• CBS and Turner Sports said they support the decision and intend to fully produce and cover the event.

Bottom line, via USA Today: “The decision to move March Madness behind closed doors represents a new frontier of sorts for American sports, which have never seen an event of this size and scope take place without fans present.”