March Madness and Its Relation to the Miracle of Existence

The odds of filling out a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion. Imagine the odds of your own existence!

Every March, the nation plunges into madness—not the kind that requires medication, but the glorious, bracket-busting chaos of the NCAA basketball tournament. Sixty-eight teams enter, each with the dream of cutting down the nets, but only one emerges victorious. And as I stare at my bracket, wondering if my pick—the University of Florida, home to my niece Mackenzie—is the right one, I realize something profound.

March Madness isn’t just a basketball tournament. It’s a perfect metaphor for the miracle of existence.

Let me explain.

The championship-winning team? That’s you. The two teams that battle it out in the final game? That’s your parents. The Elite Eight? Your grandparents. And so on, back through generations, each matchup representing a moment in history where one set of genes advanced and the other didn't. Each victory along the way—a long-forgotten courtship, a chance meeting, a perfectly timed smile—had to happen just right, or else you wouldn’t be here.

It’s dizzying to think about.

Every person has brackets that stretch into the infinite past, a genealogy of winners and losers, close calls and upsets. And just like in basketball, one unexpected outcome can rewrite everything. A broken engagement in the 1800s? That’s a Cinderella story ending before it even begins. A last-minute decision to move across the country? That’s an underdog buzzer-beater. The fact that you exist at all, that you are here filling out your bracket and debating whether UConn or Houston has the edge, is nothing short of miraculous.

The Round of 32 in the AdTech March Madness Tournament begins today, March 18, 2025.

This existential bracketology hit me hard as I was setting up my own AdTech March Madness tournament. Just like in the real NCAA competition, brands and companies go head-to-head, battling for supremacy in the digital advertising world. It’s a fun exercise, but it also mirrors the grander truth: whether in business, basketball, or life, everything is a competition, and only a select few make it to the final round.

And this year, I’m betting on Florida.

Not just because they’re ranked #1 in their division (which certainly helps), but because of my niece Mackenzie. She’s a student at UF, and what kind of uncle would I be if I didn’t ride with the Gators all the way? Whether or not they win, it’s a fun reminder that family connections—and the thousands of decisions and victories that led to them—shape the way we see the world.

So when you watch March Madness unfold, remember: It’s not just a tournament. It’s a reflection of the improbable, awe-inspiring, against-all-odds nature of existence. Your ancestors filled out a perfect bracket so that you could be here, reading this. And that’s more incredible than any half-court buzzer-beater.

Go Gators! ❤️ 🐊

Me & Mack in Pennsylvania.