'The Madness of March' Author Alan Jay Zaremba

Alan Jay Zaremba, author of "The Madness of March: Bonding and Betting with the Boys in Las Vegas," will discuss his book during a presentation at the Needham Free Public Library on Thursday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Every spring, the first four days of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament attracts a horde of basketball bettors to Las Vegas. From the tip-off of the tournament’s first game on Thursday morning to the final whistle on Sunday, throngs of bettors—overwhelmingly male—sit in smoky casinos obsessively watching as many as forty-eight college basketball games. Immersing readers in the action, "The Madness of March: Bonding and Betting with the Boys in Las Vegas" follows Zaremba as he travels to “The Strip” and gives us a front-row view of the betting culture that surrounds the frenzied first weekend of the tournament.

Alternating between humorous accounts of gamblers’ exploits and cultural theories on sports in society, Zaremba provides an engaging analysis of the sporting ritual that such gambling has become. With forays into the history of the tournament, the background of sports betting, and a little betting of his own, Zaremba raises the question of whether this subculture of March Madness is a blessing or a curse—and what, finally, it all means.

Zaremba is associate dean for undergraduate and graduate curricula and research for the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Buffalo and MS and BA from the University of Albany. His doctoral dissertation centered on international newspaper reactions to the 1973 Arab Israeli War.

Zaremba has received awards for excellence in teaching. He has twice earned Northeastern University's Excellence in Teaching Award, is a recipient of the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2001 was one of two alums who received his alma mater's excellence in education alumni award. He is on the faculty in the department of Communication Studies and also teaches in the university's executive MBA program.

Please join us for this timely presentation just before the start of the 2012 NCCA Basketball Tournament, a.k.a. March Madness. This program is sponsored by the Library Foundation of Needham. 

For more information, call the library at 781-455-7559.