March Madness
March Madness, the NCAA’s annual college basketball tournament, captivates the nation every spring with a blend of underdog victories, nail-biting finishes, and the collective ambition to craft the perfect bracket. This iconic American tradition features both men’s and women’s college basketball teams competing in parallel 68-team tournaments, packing tens of thousands of fans into arenas across the nation. Notably, the allure of March Madness is not just in the on-court action but also in the significant betting scene, with billions of dollars staked on the games nationwide. I’m not a sports bettor and I didn’t fill out a bracket this year, but I’m still keeping an eye on the results!
In terms of viewership, March Madness gets a lot of attention, with the 2024 tournament’s early rounds averaging 8.53 million viewers per time slot, making it among the most-watched in history. The Round of 32 witnessed a record-setting Saturday, attracting 10.8 million viewers.
A notable shift in the landscape of college sports viewership has emerged over the past few years, with Fox Sports reporting that, for the first time, the men’s regular season viewership was outpaced by the women’s. At the heart of this surge are phenomenally talented players like Caitlin Clark of Iowa, whose remarkable achievements, including breaking the single-season scoring record, have drawn significant attention and admiration. The increased viewership of women’s games highlight a broader trend of rising investment and interest in women’s sports. I love to see it!
1-TDC North American UKI Invitational
Gear up for the newest UKI national event! The 1-TDC North American UKI Invitational is set to take place this weekend at the Canlan Sports facility in Barrington, Illinois, from March 29th to April 1st, 2024. This premier event welcomes up to six hundred handler/dog teams, with invitations determined by their achievements at the US Open, Canadian Open, or West Coast Open. 4LeggedFlix will be offering a free livestream of the event, so you can tune in to the action!
Featuring a World Agility Open (WAO) style lineup, the competition will include a Pentathlon, Biathlon, and Games Challenge, culminating in the eagerly awaited Blue Ribbon Final. Participants will vie for byes to the 2024 UKI Opens and five World Agility Open spots, offering the chance to either represent their country or enter as a Wildcard in 2025.
The Biathlon challenges teams with a Jumping and an Agility round, the Games Challenge combines a Snooker and a Gamblers round, and the Pentathlon tests agility with two Jumping rounds, two Agility rounds, and a Steeplechase round, with faults converted to seconds on a 1:1 ratio. For those not moving on to the North American Championship Final, the Challenger Round provides an additional opportunity for qualification. Esteemed judges Martin Cavill, Ashley Deacon, Shane Miller, and Rosanne Wesemann will oversee the competition.
Adventures in Babysitting
Who remembers the classic ’80s movie, ‘Adventures in Babysitting”? I actually haven’t seen it, but Sarah swears that it’s a classic! While babysitting might have been a popular way for teens to earn some spending money back in the day, in the world of dog agility, babysitting your dog on course can quickly become a liability, hindering both speed and fluidity. Are you inadvertently babysitting your dog? This week’s podcast explores the fine line between supporting your dog and unintentionally stifling their confidence, which could be key to unlocking greater speed in your dog. CLICK HERE to dive into this week’s episode on the delicate balance of Support vs. Babysitting in Dog Agility Handling.
If anyone has a perfect NCAA bracket going for either the men or women, please let me know! As always, email me at team@baddogagility.com with your comments and questions.
Happy Training,
Esteban
