As the month of March peaks, college basketball fans prepare for their biggest event of the year, March Madness.
The NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament began in 1939 with only eight teams. The idea was created by Ohio State head coach Harold Olsen who wanted to hold a true national championship tournament in the postseason for basketball.
In what became known as “March Madness,” the tournament was first held on Northwestern’s campus as officials had to give away tickets just to fill the stands, losing approximately $2,600.
The tournament has now grown to 68 teams competing in a single elimination, seven round tournament, generating more than $1 billion dollars in revenue for the NCAA, according to various investment sites.
And as the tournament itself grows, so has its biggest draw: the bracket.
The famous March Madness bracket started almost 50 years ago with the first known public bracket pool being held in a bar in Staten Island, N.Y. in 1997 with 88 participants and a $10 fee.
Then in the 1990s, with the adoption of the internet, online brackets became more popular.
Now, the NCAA estimates that 60 to 100 million March Madness brackets are filled out annually.
While it’s not required to bet on games, the tournament has become one of the biggest sports betting events, with an estimated $4 billion this year being wagered on the four-week event, according to Yahoo Sports.
The creating and sharing of brackets has largely been popular among men, but the female community is growing.
CBS Sports betting analyst Mackenzie Brooks took to Tik Tok to post her breakdown of the tournament with the caption, “The girls are making winning march madness brackets.”
Although many people try to make a perfect bracket, it is nearly impossible.
The odds of making a perfect march madness bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion, if you are choosing randomly. For reference, the odds of winning the Powerball Lottery is 1 in 292 million, meaning you are 200 times more likely to win the lottery than you are to make a perfect bracket.
Your odds only increase to 1 in 128 billion if you are making decisions based on information and data, according to the NCAA.
With these odds, people have turned March Madness brackets into a fun game with family, friends, co-workers, teams and more because of how unpredictable the brackets can turn out.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
With the odds of winning so low, the games could truly go anyway, and many people decide to let loose and have fun with it.
It’s also become a trend to base your bracket off more than just seeds or stats.
Some popular patterns like choosing based on team colors, how cool the mascot is, personal feelings or “vibes,” or even how attractive the players are.
“We need the tournament. The tournament is a unifying factor, whether you’re a big sports fan or not,” said Sportscaster Ernie Johnson on CBS Mornings Instagram.
No matter how you decide to set up your bracket, it’s a fun way to foster some friendly competition between your friends or family. Or even just making one for yourself.