Every March, the NCAA's men's and women's basketball tournaments are held, sparking nationwide interest and nothing short of a basketball frenzy. This phenomenon is called March Madness, and its backstory is as fascinating as what happens on the gym floor.

3 Surprising Facts About March Madness

1. March Madness Has Been Going Strong Since the 1900s

The fever of March Madness can be traced back to Illinois in 1908, when high school boys' basketball tournaments began drawing sellout crowds. The interest intensified, and, by the 1930s, more than 900 schools were taking part in the tournaments. Over time, the rest of the nation caught on to the excitement. The movement grew and evolved in other basketball leagues, most notably in the field of college basketball, and, eventually, it became the March Madness we know today.

2. The Term "March Madness" Was Coined by an Illinois Educator

Henry V. Porter was an assistant executive security officer in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), as well as a teacher and coach. In March of 1939, he wrote an article about the basketball fever that overtook the state every spring, coining the term March Madness. The name stuck, perfectly encapsulating the frenzied feelings on the gym floor, and today March Madness has become instantly recognizable to basketball fans across the country.

3. The Original March Madness Provides Scholarships to High School Athletes

The original March Madness in Illinois is still around, albeit in a different version from the early twentieth-century one. It remains an incredibly popular pastime with legions of devoted local fans. Because of this popularity, the IHSA is now able to award college scholarships to high school athletes.

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