Like many other nations in the world, American schools help prepare students for the future by teaching them math, English, science, history, art, foreign language, and physical education.

That's a good variety of subjects, but there's something that seems missing, something to get away from the often stifling formality of academics.

For four months, I really didn’t care about college basketball.

My team (everyone’s team) — Illinois — was having an unusually dreadful season. My interest waned as the Illini floundered at the bottom of the Big Ten standings, losing to Tennessee State, Ohio State, and Penn State (all in a row). Illinois’ other team and the NFL’s most hated team diverted my attention from college basketball entirely.