The Big Dance: March Madness Continues

      So, already: upsets-a #16 seed defeats a #1 seed.  Fans cry; fans cry out of joy.  Bettors despair; bettors are jubilant.  A 98 year old nun thanks the Almighty.  Teams pack to go home; teams pack to advance to another venue.   The Big Dance- money flows like water; money lines pockets, kids become men after consecutive halves define their futures, the lives they dreamt about; the dreams wrecked on the shoals of game, a game they've played since they were old enough to walk.  Now what?
      Under a spectators gaze, winners advance in pursuit of stardom; the majority, losers retreat into questions of self worth,  self doubts, broken promises and broken dreams.   Maybe the freshmen can say to themselves, " I'll be bigger and stronger next season, and I'll return to seek the olive wreath".  The crestfallen seniors depart facing an uncertain future, an empty slate, a blank page waiting for the first stroke of a pen to start the "rest" of a life.
      Loyola of Chicago: have you heard of it?  Loyola graces the name of more universities than any other.   The name is sprinkled around the states like confetti: big and small, they continue to crank out  graduates despite the increased costs.   They follow the dictum of a modern, Jesuit-inspired curricula that provides a foundation for a righteous life dedicated to improving the conditions faced in the world wherever life takes you.  Ignatius of Loyola, the Spanish soldier, lives on, guiding/molding, directing the lives of a nation of young men and women.   Now those same men and women are engulfed in fandom, books abandoned for the moment as their teams strive for celebrity and intense scrutiny by millions of gawkers and temporary supporters of the under dog.  Americans love under dogs.  While not just an American breed,  Americans cheer the loudest for the under dog, here most often called  " a Cinderella" team, named for the little Italian girl who transcended mediocrity and won the lottery at the Prince's ball where she upset tradition and won the final.   Cinderella.  Who doesn't love Cinderella?
     Play on.  To the victor..........?