In 1939, Henry V. Porter, the assistant executive secretary of the Illinois High School Association, wrote about the tournament in The Illinois Interscholastic, where he dubbed it “March Madness.” That helped the term get more usage from the state’s sports writers.

There's more to March Madness than basketball. For players, it's national publicity and a shot at the biggest prize in college basketball. To the participating schools, it's more than winning a title.