Column: NCAA Tournament tops best playoffs in sports

It doesn’t get much better than this time of year for sports fans, with the NHL and NBA… It doesn’t get much better than this time of year for sports fans, with the NHL and NBA playoffs providing spectacularly exciting games on a nightly basis.

A few nights ago, as I watched one of the 20 incredible Stanley Cup playoff overtime games from this year, a question popped into my head: Which sport boasts the best postseason?

After much contemplation and debate, I present here my top-five most exciting postseason tournaments in all of college and professional sports.

5. FIFA World Cup

Now before you shake your head at the mentioning of soccer as an exciting sport, remember the events of last summer’s World Cup. Landon Donovan’s goal in the United States’ last group stage match, which was one of the best moments from the World Cup that year, led to massive celebrations among millions of American sports fans and proved that a 1-0 soccer match can be exciting. Beyond that, the World Cup makes the list because no sport is better designed for drama than soccer. Since matches are typically low scoring, each play can change the game’s outcome. That makes World Cup soccer quite the spectacle.

4. NBA Playoffs

Although professional basketball’s postseason hasn’t been the same since the days of Michael Jordan, it’s starting to return to the excitement level of the ’90s. Although star-studded teams like the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles

Lakers might make the regular season seem

irrelevant, these teams are also the reason the NBA playoffs are so exciting.  The ridiculous levels of athleticism among the players make every game entertaining. When teams actually decide to play defense and make the games close, the NBA playoffs can be a joy to watch.

3. NFL Playoffs

With football currently the most popular sport in the United States, there’s no way the NFL playoffs could miss this list. The Super Bowl may be the mecca of U.S. sports, but the earlier rounds of football’s playoffs have been known to provide some spectacular moments as well. The single-elimination style means that not many sporting events can match the drama of the NFL playoffs. It would be nice if college football could follow in the NFL’s successful footsteps and produce a playoff system of its own.

2. NHL Playoffs

No championship is harder to win, which is probably why the Stanley Cup is the biggest and most coveted trophy in sports. Hockey players play through more pain and injuries than any other athletes, and they don’t get days or weeks between games. There’s something uniquely entertaining about watching men with full beards skating around and taking punishment for two months during the playoffs. Playoff hockey’s intangible “it” factor and the desperation the players show in overtime — and even regulation — make the NHL playoffs almost the best postseason in all of sports.

1. NCAA men’s Basketball Tournament

In my opinion, there’s no arguing with this one: March Madness is as good as it gets. Every year, millions of Americans, who may or may not be basketball fans, fill out brackets and tune in to the NCAA Tournament with the hope of seeing their team — or their bracket — go all the way. Like football, the single-elimination style is conducive to dramatic games and the sheer number of games in the NCAA Tournament greatly increases the possibility that each round will have several exciting finishes. March Madness is also unique in that it might be the only postseason in which the first round is typically just as or even more exciting than the last. Thrilling from beginning to end, this basketball tournament captivates millions each year and is the main reason why so many sports fans look forward to March.

So there they are — the best playoffs in American sports..

Whether or not you agree with my choices, there’s no debating that sports fans can’t wait for their favorite playoffs to come around.