By the time you read this, many of you will have busted brackets. The sports gurus are expecting this to be a unique college basketball championship. They’re saying any number of teams could win it all. They’re saying no one team is a sure thing. They’re saying... Well, who cares what they’re saying? In the end, one team is going to win. If any one of us really knew how it was going to happen, that person would have a chance to be a lot richer.
I’ve filled out brackets for years but have never won. I don’t remember even coming close. At best, I’ve made it to the third round before I was completely out of the competition. Having a bracket filled with your predictions does seem to add some life to the tournament. It certainly makes many of the games more interesting when you have a stake in who wins. I can only imagine how fun it would be to have a viable bracket going into the Final Four.
To me, making a bracket for the annual tournament is a lot like going to the horse races: Picking winners seems like a lot of work. I like to do my brackets the same way I bet horses. I’ll use no more science or mathematical calculations in determining my picks than that expended by the professionals in making their picks. When I’m not using someone else’s work, I simply choose the team I like the best. Most times, my admiration for a team is based on pure emotion. Sometimes, I just flip a coin. Filling out a bracket goes a lot faster when you don’t spend a lot of time thinking.
With all of this talk about brackets, you might find it a little bit surprising that I haven’t actually filled out a bracket the last couple of years. Part of the reason is I got tired of donating money every year to the brackets while knowing I had no chance to win. I even convinced myself a few years ago that the only reason one friend invited me to fill out a bracket each year was to increase the pot he was likely to win. I haven’t done a bracket with him since. He still invites me every year.
The main reason I haven’t done a bracket for the last few years is the simple fact that I keep forgetting to get my bracket filled out before the tournament starts. If I don’t get this year’s bracket filled out pretty soon, history will repeat itself again. Without a favorite team in the tournament of 64, the magic is sometimes hard to find. This year, I resolve to find the magic of the tournament in my bracket.
I’m looking forward to a great tournament. I hope they’re right about the multiple possible winners. I’m certain my bracket will be helped by the parity of this year’s field of teams. The fact that there are no sure winners means anyone could win. That gives my bracket a much better shot at making it past the second round.
March Madness is upon us. Even if you haven’t filled out a bracket yet, it’s okay to fill one out after the tournament has started. No matter how you make your choices, picking winners can make the games more exciting. There’s nothing wrong with a little extra excitement. That’s true for everyone, especially those of us watching the games from way up in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway and Fayetteville, Arkansas. His primary area of practice is criminal defense. He can be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com