The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament brings a new element to the internet: online sports brackets. I believe this concept brings out the gambler in all of us!
Some of the most popular bracket challenges online are found on CBS, Fox, ESPN, and Yahoo. Top prizes are typically $10,000 for the best bracket, although one site offers a new Infiniti car. Ruby Tuesday (the restaurant chain) and others have even offered $1,000,000 for a perfect bracket! Although your chances of getting a perfect bracket are almost nil, the gambler in me is quick to try something free if you have even the smallest chance.
What we may not realize is how much publicity and advertising revenue these companies are getting in return for their efforts. A $10,000 prize is chump change for brand such as ESPN, so I believe that they have more to gain from the online bracket challenge than we do. Still, it’s worth a shot at the big bucks!
