Welp, that's one way to watch the games ...
*Originally published in March 2017
Updated on March 17, 2023:
While much of the focus this week is on free throws, rebounds, and other basketball statistics, there’s another March Madness stat that's making news: vasectomies.
According to ESPN, over the last few years, urologists across the country are reporting an uptick (about 50%) in vasectomies during the months of March and April, and some attribute it to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Dr. Scot Ackerman, a radiation oncologist in Jacksonville, Florida, told a local news outlet his practice has seen an increase in elective surgeries during March Madness, specifically vasectomies, at a rate of about 25–30%.
While watching college basketball unbothered is an obvious selling point, it doesn’t look like people suddenly seek sterilization just to watch the tournament. The vast majority of patients are already considering a vasectomy but chose to go under the knife around the tournament. Typically, a vasectomy procedure lasts 10–15 minutes and patients spend 45 minutes in the office. However, once patients are released, they are bedridden for 48 hours. Just enough time to binge-watch the first round of the NCAA tournament!
One benefit is that, as long as he isn’t on painkillers, he can continue to drink beer (in moderation) while in recovery. For many men already considering the procedure, the prospect of 48 hours of unmolested basketball, beer, and laying in bed is just too good to pass up.
If you’re thinking about going under the knife and want an excuse to avoid chores and binge-watch college basketball, it might be too late. Once the second and third rounds of the tournament come around, the games are more spread out. However, there is still the Master’s Tournament in early April …
