The greatest postseason in sports is upon us, but no one is having a good time.
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament tipped off last Thursday, and while 64 teams battle each other in a single elimination tournament, most viewers across the country are only cheering for each team to keep their bracket intact.
Every year, millions of people make a bracket predicting the course of the tournament. But some take this a step further, filling out two or three to slightly increase their odds of creating a “perfect bracket.” But they probably never will.
The odds of predicting every game correctly are one in 9.2 quintillion, according to USA Today: You’re more likely to win the lottery or die an excruciating death by vending machine than perfect the bracket. So why do fans think making more than one will be any help?
Sitting on the couch staring at the four I filled out this year, I couldn’t help but think this was the wrong approach. Watching Michigan State vs Mississippi State where I had picked both to win felt empty. I couldn’t lose, but I also wasn’t going to win.
Even after my hope for a perfect bracket was crushed in the first round this year, I still watched every game with the same mindset as before, rooting for teams just because they’re in my bracket. Putting all this work into perfection is contradictory to the idea of March Madness — that in the end everyone’s brackets will go to madness.
While I don’t discourage filling out a bracket when March rolls around, next year I’ll just stick to one. I’d rather pick the teams I believe in and spend my time rooting for them rather than have my dozen brackets bust anytime they won, picking both teams that play takes the joy out of watching.
As someone who ignored college basketball all season, let me tell you why you shouldn’t fill out countless brackets for this year’s NCAA tournament. Because if anyone should tell you how to enjoy the tournament, it’s someone whose teams were picked on a whim.
You know that annoying person in your class who won’t shut up about their fantasy football team? Bracket people are just like that, except for some reason they also sprinkled some cocaine in their morning coffee. At least most of the fantasy sports people put some level of effort into picking their team. For whatever reason, brackets attract mostly casual fans, who fill out their picks without ever watching a game and they seem to be having more fun than anybody else. They come into class after every tournament day beaming with pride for picking an upset based on which school name sounded better in their bracket.
This just goes to show you why filling out a dozen different brackets is a bad idea — it’s nearly impossible for one to be perfect anyway. But there is still that voice in my head telling me to cover the bases, preventing me from eventually giving up and just enjoying watching future accountants shoot 60% from three to upset a favorite.
Brackets are supposed to be a way for even the most uninterested fans to get into the tournament, even when your favorite team didn’t make it. But the stress I experience keeping track of every one I filled out is anything but.
March Madness is fun because anyone can win, despite your seed or opponent. Infamous Cinderella stories like Loyola’s trip to the final four or the 14-seed Oakland taking down one of the tournament’s favorites in Kentucky this year. These games will never be forgotten by players or fans alike, but more importantly, these were bracket-busters that everyone enjoyed watching anyway because this is still a game people should watch for fun, even if your bracket doesn’t have the same results. So why spend your time time filling out so many brackets when you can just have one, enjoying the tournament with your one shot, like every team playing.
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