One of the many redeeming qualities of Twitter is that when a big event in our culture takes place, and millions watch together and tweet together, should that event let down, Twitter comedy ensues. Hilarity is bred from heartbreak, disappointment, and sheer awfulness; the 2011 Oscars and halftime show at the most recent Super Bowl with the Black Eyed Peas come to mind.Last night, the March Madness championship game joined that group.
Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews. The 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is set to tip off Tuesday night, and while Google Earth may not be able to bring users 3D images from inside the arenas — CBS and its cable partners might be slightly miffed — the outside of the 14 tournament arenas is available via the virtual tour below.
Google also created a special tournament page enabling users to track the schedule, explore campuses via Street View, watch the actual games via NCAA March Madness on Demand, create brackets, read Google News coverage, and download apps from the Chrome Web Store.
College-basketball fans who haven’t quenched their March Madness thirst when Sunday’s one-hour 2011 NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show ends on CBS at 7 p.m. ET can squeeze one more hour out of CBSSports.com, which will stream Bracket Breakdown, a live show featuring analysis and predictions for the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
CBSSports.com original video host Jason Horowitz will host Bracket Breakdown, along with former St. John’s men’s basketball coach Norm Roberts, and CBSSports.com senior college-basketball writer Gary Parrish.
Once the brackets are announced, CBSSports.com will also feature four games: Bracket Manager, sponsored by AT&T, allowing fans to organize bracket competitions with friends and co-workers; Bracket Challenge, sponsored by Infiniti, where fans can compete against entrants from around the world for the grand prize, a trip for four to the 2012 Men’s Final Four in New Orleans; the Round-by-Round Bracket Game for Coaches Against Cancer, also sponsored by Infiniti, in which fans make their picks during each round, with prizes including computer tablets and the same grand prize as the Bracket Challenge; and Facebook Brackets and Pick 4, sponsored by Lowe’s, for members of the social-networking site.
Basketball fans and tech geeks alike rejoice. Well, at least those fans who love college basketball and those geeks who are devoted to Apple. This year, iPhone and iPad owners will be able to watch the March Madness NCAA college basketball tournament for free.
