Synopsis
"How March Became Madness," written by Eddie Einhorn with Ron Rapoport and published in 2006, traces the remarkable evolution of the NCAA men's basketball tournament from a relatively modest postseason event into America's most captivating and widely embraced sporting spectacle. Einhorn, a key figure in pioneering college basketball television coverage through his TVS network, draws heavily on his own experiences while weaving in firsthand accounts from dozens of legendary players, coaches, and announcers—including icons like John Wooden and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The narrative highlights pivotal moments that fueled the tournament's growth, most notably the groundbreaking 1968 prime-time national telecast of the Houston versus UCLA "Game of the Century" in the Astrodome, which captured massive audiences and proved college basketball's potential as prime entertainment. Through lively, often humorous interviews and stories, the book explores how innovative broadcasting ideas, dramatic upsets, rising star power, and cultural shifts transformed March into a month-long obsession filled with Cinderella runs, high-stakes matchups, and unforgettable bracket-busting excitement that even Vegas bookmakers hail as unmatched.
Blending big-picture history with intimate personal reflections, it serves as both a celebration of the event's magic and a tribute to the hard work, passion, and perseverance that turned a niche competition into a national phenomenon, complete with a companion DVD featuring highlights from that historic 1968 game. The result is an engaging oral history that captures why fans across the country lose themselves in the madness every spring.