America has been torn apart by bitter political feuding.

The anger and infighting has been non-stop.

Since Election Day — actually, since some time quite before — the national mood has been a poisonous stew of us-against-them, divided loyalties, unfounded suspicions, deflecting disagreements and resounding resentment. It’s broken the bonds of family, split friendships and further separated strangers as we’ve retreated into the comfortable cocoon of like-minded viewpoints.

Thankfully, there’s something anew that is stirring souls from one end of this great land to the other, something so exuberant and exciting that it promises to bring the country together no matter one’s age, gender, station in life or place upon the political spectrum.

March Madness!

Let us all come together now to acknowledge the healing power of college basketball on the glorious start this week of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Finally, a chance to live without guilt as we can focus on what makes those “others” so substandard to our more perfect selves: My team is better than your team.

Yes, from north to south, east to west, we can all agree.

Florida to North Dakota, Rhode Island to Minnesota, Kentucky to Arizona.

All awful teams; terrible, terrible.

Vermont to Arkansas, Sacramento to Indianapolis, and Tulsa to Milwaukee. You’ll all be a bunch of losers soon. Sad.

Now the coastal elitists can find common cause with those in flyover country; the coal miner with the Wall Street executive; the teacher with the truck driver; the barista with the bricklayer. Red states, blue states, it doesn’t matter. We are all of a like mind now: My team is better than your team.

This threshold month marks a special moment in time; a shared sentiment that can unite Americans one and all.

Sure, there will be a needed timeout here and there. There will be difficult shots to take, questionable calls, and perhaps some hard fouls. [Along those lines, perhaps Alec Baldwin will be persuaded to return with his Trump impersonation during this time of national renewal: “Your team is a disaster! Total losers! Trump U, all the way!”]

So let us appreciate this fleeting opportunity for American oneness, before we must tread across the bones of broken brackets and return to the sadness of our current political discourse.

It’s time for tip-off!