Men will try anything to get out of work and chores and instead watch the NCAA basketball tournament.
But undergo vasectomies?
Dr. Bill Utz said his procedure schedule today includes men who timed their birth-control procedures so they could recover during March Madness. Of course, he recommends that men rest for only one day after — but some patients have side effects such as an irrational desire to punch Kalin Lucas in the face.
"Men will take a little advantage of it; everybody knows that," said Utz, who is part of Edina-based Urology Associates.
"That's how it works. We suggest the guys ice it and stay off their feet for 24 hours. Some will take it a little farther than that."
Scheduling vasectomies timed to March Madness is part trend, part urban legend and part ingenuous marketing.
The American Medical News reported this month on clinics giving recovery kits, including neck tattoos and sports magazines. A Michigan clinic expanded procedure slots for its "Snip City" campaign to get men in before Thursday's start of the tournament.
Utz said some of his patients selected this time frame while others were just enjoying their good luck.
Tim, a 35-year-old from Minneapolis, plans to take full advantage of his recovery time and watch hoops on Saturday.
"Oh, yeah, I am!" said the father of two and a half who declined to be fully identified because of the nature of the medical procedure. "If I can sit on my rich mahogany and let my wife get me stuff, why not?"
The clinic even gave him a brochure with a stereotypical picture of a man recovering in a recliner while his wife reads the Smithsonian to him.
"I have that open on the counter at home," Tim joked.
Turns out, the vasectomy isn't just the official procedure of March Madness. It also supports a Tradition Unlike Any Other.
Utz's schedule before the Masters golf tournament has been booked for weeks.
"You're having a vasectomy because you don't want to appear on the Maury show," Utz said, "so you're at that age when you're expected to help out around the house. (Right after a vasectomy) you really can't."
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