When March Madness was canceled and turned into March Sadness there were some people joking about an alternative: a virtual tournament. Matchups simulated by video game software and aired for the world to see. A small consolation prize for fans around the country who had been clamoring for the real thing. And much to no one’s surprise it’s actually happening thanks to the Quarantourney.
As Yahoo Sports puts it: “It started a week late, but March Madness is up and running. Virtually.
The real 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled, but if you had YouTube running on Thursday afternoon, there was No. 9 seed Oklahoma Sooners pulling away from the No. 8 Providence Friars in overtime for a 94-87 first-round win on a video game. Kristian Doolittle of Oklahoma scored 32 points. And yes, there was a point spread on the internet. Sorry to anyone who took Providence -2.”
It’s an idea that’s not exclusive to college basketball either. Today was supposed to be MLB opening day and the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies were scheduled to square off. Something that now may not happen for weeks or months. If it ever happens at all. But that didn’t stop the Marlins Miguel Rojas and the Phillies Rhys Hoskings from facing each other on YouTube via the video game MLB The Show.
As the Philadelphia Inquirer puts it, “There was no baseball to be played Thursday as opening day was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. But Hoskins still found a way to ‘get to Miami’ as he played Marlins infielder Miguel Rojas in a virtual season opener on PlayStation’s MLB The Show. The players played as their respective teams and talked throughout the telecast, which was streamed on YouTube. Harper’s homer, which Hoskins controlled him to hit in the seventh inning, broke a scoreless tie en route to a 2-0 Phillies win.”
Considering the popularity of video games and how common it has become to watch other people play video games it’s not surprising that sports fans would turn to simulations and virtual tournaments to get their sports fix. Especially when the alternative consists of watching a marble tournament and other strange events on ESPN2, recently rebranded as ESPN the Ocho to pay homage to the obscure sports network featured in the movie Dodgeball.
As NBC News reports, “Some of the riveting programming included an electricians’ competition, a stone skipping championship and a sign spinning contest.”
Is the Quarantourney the Greatest Idea Ever?
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