The Origins of Madness

A New York Times article on March Madness:

If one goes by viewership, the madness is abating, something that Porter might have wanted to celebrate in an ode. In 1994 when Arkansas beat Duke, 32.7 million people watched the tournament's final game. Last year, when Connecticut defeated Georgia Tech, 17.1 million watched. In that period, the final's rating slumped from a 21.6 to an 11.0, while the overall tournament rating fell from an 8.3 to a 6.2.