时代周刊 史上最疯狂的“疯狂三月”(1)（在线收听）

The Maddest March ever

史上最疯狂的"f疯狂三月"

By Sean Gregory

文/肖恩·格雷戈里

QUICK, AND BE HONEST NOW:

快问快答，实话实说：

WHEN you filled out your March Madness bracket a few weeks back, along with millions of your fellow Americans,

几周前，与数以百万计的美国同胞一道，填“疯狂三月”（目前美国最大的全国性体育赛事之一NCAA锦标赛的核心比赛时间段）对阵表的时候，

did you actually pick 16th-seeded University of Maryland, Baltimore County

你是不是选了16号种子，马里兰大学巴尔的摩郡分校队，

to upset the University of Virginia, the top team in the entire NCAA men's basketball tournament?

来对阵全全国大学体育协会（NCAA）男篮锦标赛的顶级球队弗吉尼亚大学队?

Or Loyola University Chicago to knock off a string of bigger name and better-funded programs on its way to the Final Four, which tips off on March 31 in San Antonio?

或者选了3月31日在圣安东尼奥闯进四强的芝加哥洛约拉大学对抗多所名气更大，资金也更充足的团队？

And you certainly didn't put any money on a 98-year-old nun emerging as the biggest celebrity of all, right?

而且，你肯定没往洛约拉大学漫步者队最知名的粉丝，98岁的修女身上砸钱，对吧？

No, of course you didn't.

没有，你当然没有。

No one saw UMBC's win coming—the first time a top seed has lost in the first round—

谁也没想到马里兰大学巴尔的摩郡分校会胜出——顶级种子队在第一轮就输掉比赛的情况还是头一次见，

nor were we prepared for the joy that is Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, Loyola- Chicago's team chaplain,

也没料到芝加哥洛约拉大学漫步者队最知名的粉丝，修女琼·德洛丽丝·施密特迎来了欢庆胜利的时刻，

who has inspired her underdog charges while throwing shade at brash college hoops analyst Charles Barkley in a national television interview.

她曾在一次全国性的电视采访上，给傲慢的大学生篮球分析师查尔斯·巴克利泼了盆冷水。

This is a March Madness for the ages—which only makes the hypocrisy surrounding the tournament all the more troubling.

这是一界经典至极的“疯狂三月”锦标赛——这一事实也让围绕这一锦标赛的虚伪变得更加地令人不安。

In 2016–17, revenue for the NCAA, the nonprofit organization that oversees major college sports, exceeded $1 billion for the first time.

2016-2017赛季，NCAA，负责监督主要的大学体育赛事的非盈利机构，的收入首次超过了10亿美元。

Broadcast rights to the men's basketball tournament alone delivered $761 million of that haul.

其中，有7.61亿美元的收入都是靠男篮锦标赛的转播权拿到的。

The NCAA goes out of its way to protect the financial interests of its tournament sponsors.

为了保护赛事赞助商的经济利益，NCAA可谓是费尽了心思。

All members of the media sitting courtside at games, for example, are required to pour their drinks into Powerade cups,

比如，所有坐在赛场边观看比赛的媒体成员都必须用动乐牌的杯子装饮料，

since parent company Coca-Cola is an NCAA “corporate champion.”

因为动乐的母公司可口可乐是NCAA的“头号赞助商”。

Meanwhile, the NCAA takes extraordinary measures to impede the financial interests of the tournament's main attraction: the players.

与此同时，NCAA还采取了非常手段，限制球员，赛事的主要吸引力，的经济利益。

The organization's amateurism rules prohibit student-athletes from earning any money above a stipend that covers the cost of living at school.

该组织的业余运动员规定，禁止学生运动员获得超出学校生活费补贴金额的收入。

Yes, players receive athletic scholarships that cover hefty tuition bills.

是的，运动员能拿到的体育奖学金足够用来支付高额的学费了。

That's a valuable prize.

所以，这一奖励非常珍贵。

But the vast majority of the kids lighting up your TV screen were recruited to their school to play basketball, not study chemistry.

然而，大多数闪耀在你电视屏幕上的孩子都是被学校录取去打篮球，而不是去学习化学之类的文化课的。

And don't think they don't know it.

别以为他们不知道。