Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to announce the first ever annual BonkerBracket, presented by the BonkerBeat.
It's estimated that there are between 60-100 million brackets filled out each year, and roughly 47 million Americans are planning on placing wagers at some point throughout the big dance. The total value of wagers placed are expected to surpass $8.5 Billion in the US this year, larger than the entire market cap of the large sportsbook and casino app DraftKings (thoughts and prayers to anyone who's owned that stock in the last 6 months.)
DraftKings Stock, last 6 months (-73% from highs)
I have written before about the growth in gambling and speculative behavior in recent years, and I am sure that as the years pass these numbers will continue to rise.
There's nothing quite like the experience of filling out your bracket. Whether it's repeatedly telling yourself you have the edge for that one 14 seed upset that no one else has, only to have them get absolutely decimated in the first round, or having your final four completely knocked out by the first weekend, the trials and tribulations of March are a tradition unlike any other. (Shoutout the Masters also low-key almost here too)
This year I decided to take the baton from a fellow dear friend and legendary Hall of Fame bracket commander Mr. Cole Zugelder, and head up the March Madness pool for our friends. You can connect with Cole on LinkedIn here , he is a big shot over at Dell Technologies if your company is looking to make a move to the #cloud hit him up. (Idk if that's actually Cole's department but hey, in the spirit of March Madness, figured I'd take a shot)
Admission for the bracket will be $10, and max bracket entries are 2.
Please send the money to me on Venmo or Paypal
(Vevmo- @GordyBonkerII Paypal- gbonks123@gmail.com)
First place gets 80%, Second place gets 20% of the total pot. Sorry 3rd place, no money back nonsense this year.
While you are at it creating your CBS sports account, I'd greatly appreciate throwing that email on my subscriber list on my homepage, so you can stay up to date on all my blogs and content here at thebonkerbeat.com
Alright enough of the plugs, here is the link for the bracket:
Happy March
Gordy