Contest Time! March Radness, Anyone?

Pick all of the NCAA tournament games for a shot at a prize! #MarchRadness 

 

With a bit of trepidation, I am bringing back the annual March Radness contest for another year. Of course, I was in the process of preparing this very post a year ago at this time when pretty much the whole world shut down. I am still not extremely comfortable with the idea of unpaid athletes being trotted out for sport in the middle of a pandemic, but things are at least improving in our country to the point where we can indulge in a little frivolity now and then. I had considered sending out a poll to gauge what kind of interest there would be in the contest this year, but considering the comments I've already heard over the past year, I know there are at least some people who were highly interested in bringing this back.

Rules for 2021:

• Selection Sunday is March 14th, which means that is the earliest the brackets can be filled out. The games that actually count for the contest will start on March 18th March 19th.
• Default ESPN scoring rules apply. You must fill out the entire bracket, including the tie-breaking final score of the final game. There's some disclaimers in there about the possible cancellation of games and/or the tournament itself. I didn't read it, and hopefully it won't need to be addressed.
• First place wins a brand new blaster box of baseball cards (subject to availability: 2021 Bowman, 2021 Topps Gypsy Queen or 2021 Topps Heritage are the likeliest available products.) If there happens to be a suitable replacement (basketball? probably not likely, unfortunately.) at the time, we can negotiate that when the time comes. First place will also get extras to go with the blaster.
• Second and third place prizes will consist of some team bags of cards from your favorite MLB and/or NBA teams.
• I am planning on creating an in-tournament contest for a participant to win a small prize, similar to the Belk Bowl (RIP) contest, whether or not you've submitted a bracket. Keep watching this space for details. (I planned on doing this last year and I wish I could remember what my idea was.)
• As always, the worst (honest) bracket will get something, too.
• Click here now to join, and follow the "Create Bracket Now" link. Make sure to fill out your entire bracket prior to March 18th March 19th!