Last Saturday, the greatest sporting event in the world kicked off. No, I’m not talking about any strictly American sport, nor am I talking about MMA, basketball, or baseball, cricket, or any other sporting event that immediately comes to mind. Am I talking about the UEFA Champions’ League, the soccer glamour competition that ESPN and Fox Sports have created into a pretty common event in America? The answer remains no.

What I’m talking about is a competition that gets little coverage in the USA, but one that excites so many who know about it to no end. We’re talking about England’s FA Cup, which finally kicked off last weekend.

Just how big is this tournament? It’s huge. 762 unique football teams have a chance to compete against one another, in a single elimination format that spans 14 rounds. Can you think of any other tournament like this that goes as deep as 14 rounds? I can’t.

Huge teams like Manchester United compete against virtual unknowns. Think of a baseball team, not even a minor league team. A team that plays in some kind of regional league that you’ve never heard of. To put it into baseball terms, teams like these have chances to compete against teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, giving every English soccer club a fair chance at glory.

This is where legends are made. Take the Cup from 20 years ago, where Sutton United ousted Coventry City, a premier team. Sutton United wasn’t even a member of a league, akin to an amateur recreational team. Then there’s the 1975 contest, where amateur team Wimbledon FC ousted premier team Burnley and then went so far as a draw with the defending champs Lees in the third round.

The beauty of it all lies within the dream that it allows for, combined with the shock value that comes with massive upsets. It gives the lesser teams a chance, if for all but a moment, to feel big, and prove its worth against the giants of the soccer world.

So why should you, as an American, care about the FA Cup? Because it’s essentially a giant version of March Madness, that is the best way that I can describe it to you. From August 15 until the final on May 15, teams from all over England will fight for the right to lift the most storied trophy in English soccer. With the knockout aspect, teams can’t afford to slip up; one game can be the end of your Cup run. The excitement of the FA Cup is unmatched and is something that really should be witnessed. Any game, literally, has the chance to have history attached to it. For all you know, you could be turning in to watch the next great upset and that is something that cannot be overstated. Could the next great run in FA Cup history happen this year? Could a non-league team upset a Premier League team?You never, ever know.

Instead of two weeks of games, it’s 10 months of them. Imagine 10 months of March Madness. We’re sure that Dick Vitale would agree when we say that it’s truly awesome!

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