Rate this book

When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball (2009)

by Seth Davis(Favorite Author)

3.9 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0805088105 (ISBN13: 9780805088106)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Times Books

review 1: Seth Davis' purpose in writing his book, "When March Went Mad", is to inform the audience about how this very basketball game in 1979 transformed all of basketball forever. He wants to make sure that the reader understands that college basketball is the multibillion-dollar sport it is today because of this game. Before this game, there were not many college basketball games that were televised like they are today. This championship game transformed the once glanced over NCAA tournament into a must watch for fans all over the nation. The meeting was the first time Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson ever played against one another. But this first meeting led to the famous NBA rivalry that took place between the men for the rest of their careers. The book leaves a foreve... morer lasting impact because it changed the way that modern basketball is perceived. According to the Nielsen Media Research, "the 1979 NCAA championship game...generateda 24.1 rating, which meant that nearly a quarter of all television sets in America were tuned in that night." [Davis, 4]. It's amazing when you think about it because it will never be done again. There is no way that one basketball game will ever be watched by one-fourth of all Americans watching television again. The thought of that has lasting value in itself. Basketball fans should realize that this game started it all when it comes to seeing 5 games on at one time on national television, before this it was always only one if that. "When March Went Mad" is a very well written book. The book includes in depth description of the game as well as the 1978-79 basketball season for both teams. The book tells of how Magic Johnson made his transition from highschool to Michigan State University, and it tells how Larry Bird was a country boy who got persuaded into coming to play for the Indiana State Sycamores. The two were from totally different walks of life, and in the book Davis made that clear. He confirmed it when he said "Magic was black; Bird was white. Magic loved being the center of attention; Bird was painfully shy. Magic grew up in urban Lansing; Bird was the hick from French Lick." [Davis, 5]. The book is appealing and it shows a story of David vs. Goliath. The book was very captivating and I love it. I understood and connected with both of the main characters, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. I related to Bird because I know how it feels to sometimes want to just be left alone and be shy when it comes to meeting new people. However, on the other hand, I truly connect with Johnson because he likes to be the center of attention and there are many periods where I love being the object of discussion and the center of attention. I did not find "When March Went Mad" boring in the least bit. The book was somewhat funny, it was very informative, and it was also inspiring. It makes the reader truly appreciate the game of basketball and how it has transformed to where it is today. The greatest strength in this book is how it relates to today's game through the statistics and information received from it. "The 1979 NCAA championship game helped to catapult college basketball...betweeen 1979 and 1985,[it] introduced...six players who would dominate the NBA [for] the next two decades..Magic, Bird, Thomas, Jordan, Ewing, and Olajuwon." The book is chock full of information that the reader knows about but did not know it was a direct result of this game. The greatest weakness about this game is that it does not describe how big Bird and Magic are in this time. The book may have their faces on it, but they were still even much bigger than that. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend because it is a book that should be read by all basketball fans. The book shows how this one game was the pioneer to all games that followed. The NCAA tournament took flight with this game. The NBA became interesting again after the two protagonists left their schools to join the league. Televising of basketball games grew in popular demand. It's just a riveting book that captivates the reader because it holds truth. I definitely recommend reading "When March Went Mad".
review 2: When March Went Mad: The game that transformed basketballBy Seth DavisPublisher: Times Books Published In: New York , New YorkDate: 2009Pgs: 323Summary:The story of the rise of Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird, their early basketball experiences and the people who influenced them, and the dream season when they reinvigorated college basketball and gave all of us a vision of what the NBA might someday look like. This follows the Michigan State Spartans through their 25-6 season and juxtaposes it with the Indiana State Sycamores and their 33-0 season as the two teams moved toward their meeting in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship of 1979. This was the cusp of the resurrection of the NBA, the days immediately before the birth of ESPN and the Big East Conference, the scale and scope of college basketball were about to change forever.Genre:Sport, Biography, HistoryMain Character: Bird and MagicFavorite Character: Bird is my favorite player. But Magic is my favorite character.Least Favorite Character: Larry isn’t painted in a very favorable light here. Not sure if this is because of the way he was or how he looked from the outside looking in. He was a painfully shy person who didn’t want people overstepping his boundaries. In this book, he comes across fully as the Hick from French Lick. The Bird that I want to remember shows up in the last paragraph of the book when he gives a speech at Hulman Center on the Indiana State campus during the ceremony retiring his jersey.Favorite Scene: The last line of the book says it all and it’s history, so I don’t feel like I’m giving anything away.“Hell. Magic was just too tough.”Plot Holes/Out of Character: The problem with reading stories about your heroes is that they are real people. And the people writing the stories are real people. And if the source stories are second hand...and those are told by people...well...the waters can get muddy a bit.Last Page Sound:The last two pages communicated Larry’s heartbreak over the game still all these years later. It did give me a small pain there in my own. Author Assessment: I don’t know if I would read something else by Seth Davis. I might.Disposition of Book: Not sure yet. I might donate it to the Irving Public Library.Why isn't there a screenplay?:Maybe not this specific book, but I think a movie chronicling Bird and Magic’s dance through basketball history would be awesome. less

Download links for: When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball

Advertising