Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

Do you have your college basketball bracket filled out? Millions of Americans do, hoping to win the office pool during March Madness. For some, it's big money. According to the American Gaming Association and reported by ESPN an estimated $10 billion dollars will be wagered on the NCAA tournament this month. That's a lot of dough. Now, we love our basketball in Kentucky, and have produced amazing programs and teams. But…. we can get a little carried away, to the point where fandom turns into fanaticism. Now there's nothing wrong with ball. It's a great outlet for the players, schools and fans. It's fun to watch this time of year. But when sports is what we live and die for and wager on, we ought to pause and reflect what's going on with us. If winning is key to our happiness we pay a price, and its much costlier than losing in the brackets.