Our Guide: Make Sense Of March Madness 2021
How to pick your bracket and actually enjoy a game or two.
Whether you’re a bracket expert or could care less about who is hitting the hardwood, this guide will bring you up to speed and level the playing field when it comes to America’s favorite tournament, March Madness.
Did you know?
The March Madness basketball tournament features 68 teams vying for the championship. For this year’s tournament, which is single-elimination, the NCAA will be hosting every game in Indiana, with most of the tournament's matchups in Indianapolis. The women’s tournament will take place in San Antonio. Usually, the tournament’s different stages are held nationwide but with COVID, limiting travel is essential for safety. But there will be fans. Arenas will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity when the men’s tournament starts on Thursday, March 18 and the women’s tournament on Sunday, March 21, in San Antonio.
There will be fans. Arenas will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity when the men’s tournament starts on Thursday, March 18 and the women’s tournament on Sunday, March 21, in San Antonio.
It’s a long-standing tradition that the national champions not only cut down the nets (yes, with a ladder, scissors and all), but the winning school also gets to take home the hardwood court where they won it all. It’s not only basketball season but snipping season.
Vasectomies increase up during March Madness because it’s doctor’s orders to be a couch potato, so men might as well heal while watching basketball.
Place your bets
When choosing your bracket in this single-elimination tournament, remember that the most likely upset is a No. 12 team over a No. 5. Only once in the tournament’s history has a No. 16 team upset a No. 1 seeded team.
Are you feeling blue about your men’s bracket? That might be the ticket to winning. Louisville is the only national championship team in the past 17 seasons that did not have blue as a school color. Want to pick your bracket by the mascot or best celebrity alum? Fine with us! Join our bracket and choose however you want. (There’s even autofill).
Does it feel like everyone around you is filling out a bracket? They are. The American Gaming Association expects the numbers of brackets submitted to decline (fewer office pools), but the number of people placing bets is expected to top 47 million. Your office pool is a significant piece of the illegal betting that’s part of the $8.5 billion bet on the tournament each year.
In previous years, we’ve seen more than $6.3 billion lost in workplace productivity. Who knows what that number will look like with so many people working from home. Many companies have turned the tournament into a team-building opportunity with various contests. Take Warren Buffet and his $1 million a year for life promise for an employee who picks a perfect bracket in the first round. The chances of picking a completely perfect bracket? 1 in 9.2 quintillions. You’re better off basing your retirement on winning the lottery.
Ladies first
The Stanford Cardinal team is the overall No. 1 seeded team with North Carolina State, South Carolina and Connecticut (i.e., UConn) wrapping up the final top spots in the bracket. The top-ranked Cardinal are pursuing their third national title.
An interesting fact to note. While the men play two-20-minute halves, the women play four-10-minute quarters.
Keep your eye on Page Bueckers, a freshman at UConn. She has had a phenomenal season but will be without her head coach Geno Auriemma for a few tournament games after he tested positive for COVID. Auriemma has coached UCONN to 11 titles. Chris Daley will step into his shoes, which she has done during the regular season, and hopes to lead the Huskies to a win (or two).
The men take the court
In a year where major basketball programs like Duke and Kentucky didn’t make the cut for the tournament, everyone’s favorite underdog Gonzaga is thriving. They’re looking to do something that hasn’t been done in 45 years – finish the season undefeated.
The top four ranked teams – Gonzaga, Illinois, Michigan and Baylor – are hoping they’re still in it when it comes to the April 5 championship game.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, COVID.
All players will wear a SafeTag device that will assist in contact tracing. Teams will function inside a bubble and daily PCR testing will also be in place.
Now, what happens if a team has a case of COVID and has to withdrawal? Well, this is where it gets a little complicated. The deadline for replacing teams in the men's and women's tournament is March 16 at 6 p.m. ET. After that, if a team is forced out for medical reasons, no replacement team will be named and its opponent will advance.
But what happens if a team withdrawals before the deadline? A replacement team will be named and they will drop into the slot of the team they’re replacing without changing the rankings. There are four teams on standby and they will fill any spaces that open up. The highest-ranked team out of the four will receive a spot first, and so on. These teams are required to continue testing protocols for COVID-19 in case they are considered a replacement.
A Guide To Super Bowl LV
Everything you need to know about the big game on February 7, 2021, and nothing you don’t.
Photo by IvelinRadkov/iStock / Getty Images
It’s the most wonderful time of the year - when the nation bonds over a football game, or let’s be honest, the commercials, food and halftime performance. Here’s what you need to know about the big game taking place between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Cheifs on Sunday, February 7, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.
Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan will be singing the national anthem and H.E.R. will sing “America the Beautiful.” Be prepared to be blinded by the lights of The Weeknd as he performs at halftime. He spent $7 million of his own money to make the halftime show more “cinematic” so you’re in for a treat. Spoiler alert: None of the performers are paid for their appearance at the Super Bowl, but the NFL does pay for the production costs (minus the above and beyond that The Weeknd is paying for). MUSIC TO OUR EARS
Three familiar brands you won’t see paying $5.5 M for a 30 second Super Bowl commercial this year are Coke, Pepsi and Budweiser. The three big brands join Audi and avocados from Mexico in skipping the big game advertising altogether. Budweiser is reallocating the media investment to raise awareness about the COVID-19 vaccine, in partnership with the Ad Council. Pepsi (Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay) and Anheuser-Busch (Bud Light, Michelob Ultra and their seltzers) will still promote other products but not their iconic brands. As a side note, because of COVID there will be no viewing parties and people are hungry for something to watch so experts expect this Super Bowl to be one of the biggest viewing audiences in history. THE RIGHT MOVE?
For the first time in NFL history, it’ll be a home game for one of the teams vying for the championship title. The Bucs were awarded the Super Bowl back in 2017 when NFL owners voted to move the Super Bowl to Tampa Bay from Los Angeles. (L.A. will host the 2022 Super Bowl). WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?
Let’s talk quarterbacks. There’s quite the age difference between the two starting quarterbacks - Tom Brady, who is the oldest quarterback in the league and Patrick Mahomes, who is one of the youngest. Mahomes was six-years-old when Brady played in his first Super Bowl. In fact, Brady is 7 years younger than Mahomes’ professional baseball player father. THAT STINGS A BIT
You don’t have to know diddly squat about football to place a bet on Sunday’s game, thanks to prop bets. You can bet on anything from which song will be the first song of The Weeknd’s halftime performance, to the winner of the coin toss or will the Church-Sullivan rendition of the anthem be under two minutes? YOU CAN BET ON IT
Two women making history this Sunday are youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman and Referee Sarah Thomas. Gorman will recite an original poem that will honor three pandemic heroes who are the honorary captains of the game. It will be the first time a poet participates in the Super Bowl pregame festivities. Thomas will be the first woman to ever officiate at the Super Bowl. JUST THE BEGINNING
Attendance at the game will be limited to 22,000 people, about a third of the more than 65,000+ capacity of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Of that 7,500 will be vaccinated health care workers who received free tickets. THANK YOU!
At age 43, Tom Brady is playing for his seventh Super Bowl ring in his 10th Super Bowl. The 25-year-old QB from the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes will be the first QB in NFL history to start two Super Bowls at the age of 25 or younger. If he wins, he’ll be the first QB to win two Super Bowls at the age of 25 or younger. YOUTH VS. EXPERIENCE
The Bucs will be wearing their white jerseys when they play at home. They reportedly chose the white jerseys because Tom Brady is 4-1 in Super Bowls while wearing white. In 13 of the last 16 Super Bowl games, the winning team was wearing white jerseys.
Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest calorie intake day in America after Thanksgiving. The average person will consume 11,000 calories - more than four and a half times the recommended daily calorie intake.
Americans consume:
1.3 billion chicken wings (the most popular Super Bowl food)
325 million gallons of beer (Coors Light is the most popular followed by Miller Lite and Bud Light)
200 million pounds of avocados
88 million pounds of cheese
10 million pounds of ribs
2 million pizzas
Want something delectable to serve at your COVID-friendly get together for the game? Check out our Tailgate Treats for inspiration. Cooking skills not necessary.
Five Unwritten Rules of Sports
Rules were made to be broken, except on the field.
If you didn’t know, then now you know.
1. Don’t walk across the green. Have you ever seen golfers squat behind the ball before they putt? They’re lining up their shot - imagine an actual line from the ball to the hole. That’s why you NEVER EVER walk across the green. If you walk across the green and end up walking through another golfer’s line, their ball could rollover your footprint and possibly change direction. While walking through someone’s line is disrespectful and annoying, it’s best to stay off the green as much as possible. Better to be safe than sorry!
2. Kick the ball out of bounds if an opposing player is hurt. This is one of the more sincere and compassionate unwritten rules of sports. In soccer, when a player gets hurt, the referee usually blows the whistle to stop play. However, the ref doesn’t always see it, therefore it is customary to kick the ball out of bounds. (This is assuming the player who hurt is actually down and not faking one of those Academy Award-winning performances we sometimes associate with soccer). Most of the time, the team that kicked the ball out will get it back, but even if your team doesn’t, it’s the right thing to do and you can pat yourself on the back for being a respectful opponent.
3. Don’t bunt during a no-hitter. It’s no secret that being on the opposite side of a no-hitter in baseball sucks. It’s pretty dang embarrassing for the other team. But for the pitcher, it’s a feat unlike any other. The first thought for the team up against the pitcher would be to bunt -just an easy little tap and then an all-out sprint to first base. Simple, right? Just one hit, and the frustration ends? No. Nope. Can’t do it. Why? Well, even though there’s no written rule for it, it’s a respect thing, so don’t do it.
4. Don’t shoot a last-second basket when your team is up. This one might seem like a no-brainer when your basketball team is up by a lot, and the other team is dragging a bit because they know they’re not going to win. It would be super easy to run the length of the court and hit the most impressive slam dunk of all time. Don’t do it. There’s no reason to do it except to embarrass yourself and the losing team. It’s disrespectful and adds nothing to the game itself. Although nobody can technically stop you, an earful from your coach and some snide remarks from opposing players will be sure to follow.
5. Don’t even think about an onside kick if you’re demolishing the other team. This unwritten rule in football is similar to not shooting a last-second basket when you’re up by a lot. An onside kick is a kickoff strategy that involves the kicking team kicking the ball more laterally and a shorter distance so their team can more easily retrieve the ball. When you’re up by a lot in football, an onside kick is flashy, obnoxious, and there’s really no reason for your team to need the ball back when they’re not receiving. Not onside kicking when you’re up by a lot is just a respect thing. Just like running up the score a bunch just because you can is disrespectful, so is this. Be a good sport.