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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

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Bracketscapes: Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Tulsa, Oklahoma – BOK Center (March 18 & 20: Rounds 2,3)

Why your dad likes Tulsa: Fair to say some dads don’t even know what state Tulsa is in. Most common incorrect guesses: 1) Texas 2) Nebraska 3) Saskatchewan. I mean no disrespect to the fine people of Oklahoma, your love for the OKC Thunder is proving that you can support a big time sports franchise. I do intend to imply that Tulsa seems like a rather random choice to host the NCAA tournament. I wonder how the NCAA chooses host cities. I’m guessing the location must have a sizable arena to fit a large crowd and a local university/athletic conference to sponsor the event but beyond that…

Signature Food/Drink: Tulsa seems like your quintessential steak and potato type destination. Of course, I associate any state referenced in Lonesome Dove as having good steer. Speaking of good steak from the Great Plains, I had an Omaha steak a few weeks ago, not terrible but definitely not worth the hype.  Perhaps the fact that they’re delivered frozen had something to do with the overall quality.

College Basketball History: Tulsa hasn’t hosted a NCAA tournament game since 1985. It also boasts the second smallest population, a little over 900K, of any 2011 host city. Smallest? Dayton, Ohio. If the city of Tulsa can successfully pull this weekend off and attract people to the arena/downtown area there is a chance the tourney could return to Oklahoma in the future but only after Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Portland, Maine get their fair shot first.

Bracket Predictions: Round 2 – (13) Oakland over (4) Texas, (5) Arizona over (12) Memphis, (1) Kansas over (16) BU, (8) UNLV over (9) Illinois Round 3 – Arizona over Oakland, Kansas over UNLV

view from the BOK Center courtesy of @KCTVphotog_Bill

Bracketscapes: Charlotte, North Carolina

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Charlotte, North Carolina – Time Warner Cable Arena (March 18&20: Rounds 2,3)

Why your dad likes Charlotte: If your dad likes NASCAR he’s going to love Charlotte. Charlotte, NC is the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which includes a whole lot of old race cars and plaques honoring past racing greats like Richard Petty and the late great Dale Earnhardt. If your dad is an Evangelical Christian, tell him to visit the Billy Graham Library which includes an enormous barn w/ a cross carved into one of its sides. Can’t make this stuff up.

Signature Food/Drink: Gotta be the BBQ. This past summer I went to a BBQ festival called the “Pig in the Pines” in of all places St. Germain, Wisconsin. One of the vendors at this gluttonfest was called the Carolina Rib King. So simple, yet so good. How come when I smoke ribs/brisket it never turns out as good? What’s the secret? Furthermore, why can’t I find good BBQ in Connecticut? The Northeast needs to band together and pledge to create a formidable BBQ recipe that rivals the quality and quantity of the Carolina Rib King, Famous Dave’s, and Texas Outlaws. Who’s coming with me?

College Basketball History: With 80 games hosted, Charlotte ranks 3rd in total NCAA tournament games behind Kansas City, 116, and Salt Lake City, 83. Not surprisingly, Duke and North Carolina have played in 60 of those 80 games. (I totally made that number up but doesn’t it feel like the Blue Devils and Tar Heels are always playing NCAA tournament games in their backyard? And why is Jim Nantz always assigned to those game?

Bracket Predictions: Round 2 – (1) Duke over (16) Hampton, (8) Michigan over (9) Tennessee, (2) North Carolina over (15) LIU, (7) Washington over (10) Georgia Round 3 – Duke over Michigan, Washington over UNC

view from Time Warner Cable Arena courtesy of @cwalts79

Bracketscapes: Cleveland, Ohio

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Cleveland, Ohio – Quicken Loans Arena (March 18 & 20 – Rounds 2,3)

Why your dad likes Cleveland: Cause your dad sure does love him some Rock ‘n’ Roll music.  On the banks of Lake Erie, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has been memorializing things like leather pants, sequined jumpers, and Keith Richards since doors opened in 1995.  This years inductees included Alice Cooper and Neil Diamond, which would make for a heck of a duet.

Signature Food/Drink: Cleveland is home to a few fairly well-known chefs, most notably The Food Network’s “Iron Chef” Michael Symon.  His specialty?  Offal.  That’s right: there’s another guy in Cleveland dishing up “nasty bits” besides Dan Gilbert.  If you do find yourself in Cleveland, in need of some elbow-bending to get the taste of sheep diaphragm out of your mouth, make sure to try the local microbrews, like those offered from Buckeye Brewing and The Great Lakes Brewing Company.  The Forest City is known for it craft beer, and you can find them all at any of The Winking Lizard Tavern outposts, all over metro Cleveland.  (NB: There’s a chance that the name of that bar is gross.)

College Basketball History: College hoops in Cleveland starts and ends with Cleveland State, and an unknown history of March upsets.   In 1986, the Vikings upended Bob Knight’s 3rd-seeded Indiana Hoosiers, on their way to their first and only Sweet Sixteen appearance in school history. In 2009, the Vikes knocked off 4th-seeded Wake Forest, before bowing out in the second round.  Also, the 6th-leading scorer in CSU history is James Madison – the guard, not the president.

Bracket Predictions: March 18th: (1)Ohio State over (16) Texas-San Antonio, (9)Villanova over (8)George Mason, (6)Xavier over (11)Marquette, (3)Syracuse over (14)Indiana State; March 20th: (1)Ohio State over (9)Villanova, (6)Xavier over (3)Syracuse

view from Quicken Loans Arena courtesy of @kevinkugler

Bracketscapes: Tucson, Arizona

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Tucson, Arizona – McKale Center (March 17 & 19: Rounds 2,3)

Why your dad likes Tucson: This one was too easy for me because my dad loves Tucson and has visited the area several times. He likes to tell us all the story of when he was walking through the Sonoran Desert and almost stepped on a rattlesnake. The story is only funny if you know that my dad has an Indiana Jones sized fear of snakes. The other remarkable thing about Tucson is the climate diversity. There aren’t many places on this earth where you can find snow covered cacti in the middle of March. There’s a reason why Saguaro National Park is one of the most visited parks in the United States.

Signature Food/Drink: Mojitos are really not worth the effort. I once had a friend spend an entire party making mojitos for his guests.  Guy must have spent 4 hours grinding fresh mint leaves. Not to mention, the drink is way to sugary for me. After only one mojito I feel like I may slip into a diabetic coma. Tucson has plenty of food options including fresh Mexican, Indian, and Thai. The food options are reflective of a very diverse population.

College Basketball History: The McKale Center has hosted its fair share of 1st and 2nd round tournament games. In 2005, Adam Morrison – yeah remember him – led the Gonzaga Bulldogs into the second round before they were upset by Bobby Knight’s Texas Tech Red Raiders. Here’s hoping Jon Leuer finds greater NBA success than Morrison.

Bracket Predictions: Round 2 – (7) Temple over (10) Penn St., (2) San Diego St. over (15) No. Colorado, (4) Wisconsin over (13) Belmont, (12) Utah St., over (5) Kansas St. Round 3 – SDSU over Temple, Wisconsin over Utah St.

view from Tucson courtesy of @corygiger

Bracketscapes: Washington, D.C.

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Washington, D.C. – Verizon Center (March 17 & 19: Rounds 2,3)

Why your dad likes D.C.: Because all dads love history. Fact: every dad claims to know more about history than their kids. Dads also really like to tell you what they know about history over and over and over again. Growing up, my dad must have told me a hundred times about Abraham Lincoln writing the Gettysburg Address on the train ride up to deliver his most famous speech. To this day, whenever I have to give a presentation my dad will remind me of this story.

Signature Food/Beverage: Got to be the martini, or a scotch on the rocks. Those government types are so refined. Anytime I visit friends in DC I end up drinking cans of PBR. Why travel all the way down to DC for a PBR when I only need to go to Brooklyn. So ironic. For food, I would go with Five Guys. Best “fast food” burger I’ve had. The chain started in DC but has migrated north to New England which is fantastic for my appetite but not so much for my cholesterol, blood pressure, and physique.

College Basketball History: With all the fallout following the recent Fab Five documentary, maybe now people will give the Georgetown basketball program its due. Patrick Ewing and John Thompson were as transcendent as Jalen Rose or Chris Weber and their Hoya teams actually won something.

Bracket Predictions: Round 2 – (8) Butler over (9) Old Dominion, (1) Pitt over NC-Asheville, (3) Connecticut over (14) Bucknell, (11) Missouri over (6) Cincinnati Round 3 – Pitt over Butler, UConn over Missouri

view from the Verizon Center courtesy of @howtoJimmyK