Bracketology
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“It's Awesome, baby! With a capital A!”
~ Dick Vitale on Church of Bracketology
“My Brackowondfergiyuflyu?”
~ Kombie on Bracketology
Bracketology is a controversial religion which is noted for its for its major holiday March Madness. It is popular amongst American college students, sports commentators, as well as fans of college basketball teams.
Contents |
[edit] Beliefs and Practices
[edit] Selection
Bracketology's main belief is that through the process of a 65-team single elimination tournament, a "National Champion" can be determined. Thus, every March Bracketologists determine which 65 college basketball teams may play for the title. The teams are selected by the high priests (also known as the NCAA selection committee) of the religion in a secretive meeting in a hotel in Indianapolis. These men rely on a highly subjective method to determine the competitors. While they do allow automatic berths for all teams winning their "conference tournaments" there are a high amount of teams, who, in the Bracketologists terminology are "on the bubble" and thus, not automatically in the tournament. The selection committee has absolute power over all Bracketologists.
[edit] March Madness
Once the selection committee determines teams for the tournament the religions major holiday, March Madness, begins. This is considered a month long feast holiday, especially for those Bracketologists whose teams advance in the tournament. Often fans will make pilgrimages to far off locations to watch their teams play, ritualistically chant, and paint their bodies in their school colors. Critics of Bracketology often argue that it is a cult for that reason. Within March Madness there are certain categories which the teams seek to enter. They are:
- Sweet 16
- Elite 8
- Final 4 (considered the holiest of categories)
- Champion
[edit] Controversies with the BCS
Bracketology insists that it provides the only real method of determining a national championship. The church has thus made the BCS, which determines college football champions via a computer, its main enemy. This has caused a number of controversies between the religion and the BCS. Dick Vitale, who is a college basketball The following is a transcript of Dick Vitale's appearance on the Today Show in 2005:
Vitale: I've never agreed with the BCS, ever. Before I was a Bracketologist I never agreed with the BCS. And when i started studying the history of the BCS, I understood more and more why I didn't believe in the BCS.
And as far as the USC/University of Texas thing is, look. You gotta understand, I really care about UT. I-- I think here's a-- a-- a wonderful and talented program. And-- I wanna see them do well. And I know that-- the BCS is-- is a pseudo science.
Matt Lauer: But-- but Dick, if she said that this particular thing helped UT win the title isn't that enough?
Dick Vitale: Matt, you have to understand this. Here we are today where I talk out against computers and the abuses of choosing LSU as the national champions in 2003, okay, against what everybody else say, Do you know what computers do? Do you know now that you can get porn on a computer? Do you understand that?
Matt Lauer: The difference is-- (OVERTALK)
Dick Vitale: No, no, Matt.
Matt Lauer: But this year there were two undefeated teams!.
Dick Vitale: Matt-- Matt, Matt, Matt--
Matt Lauer: But this is what everybody wanted.
Dick Vitale: Matt, I'm-- Matt, I'm asking you a question.
Matt Lauer: I understand there's abuse of all of these things.
Dick Vitale: No, you see. Here's the problem. You don't know the history of the BCS. I do.
Matt Lauer: Aren't there examples, and might not Ohio State vs. Miami in 2002 be an example, of the value of the BCS?
Dick Vitale: All it does is mask the problem, Matt. And if you understand the history of it, it masks the problem. That's what it does. That's all it does. You're not getting to the reason why. There is no such thing as winner based on strength of victories. (OVERTALK)
Matt Lauer: So, split national champions to you is--
Dick Vitale: Matt--
Matt Lauer: --kind of a--
Dick Vitale: --don't--
Matt Lauer: --little gook--
Dick Vitale: That--
Matt Lauer: --googley-gook?
Dick Vitale: --no. No. I did not say that.
Matt Lauer: I'm just asking what you-- what would you call it?
Dick Vitale: No. No. Abs-- Matt, that is-- the-- now-- now, you're talking about two different things.
Matt Lauer: But that's why the NCAA--
Dick Vitale: No.
Matt Lauer: --to the BCS for.
Dick Vitale: But what happens, the BCS, all it does is mask the problem. There's ways of RPI and through strength of schedule and various things. I'm not saying that that isn't real. That's not what I'm saying. That's an alteration of what-- what I'm saying. I'm saying that BCS isn't the answer, that computer is very dangerous. Its mind-altering. And there are ways of doing it without that so that we don't end up in a brave new world.
The thing that I'm saying about Texas is that there's misinformation, okay. And they doesn't understand the history of the BCS. She-- they doesn't understand in the same way that you don't understand it, Matt.
Matt Lauer: But a little bit what you're saying Dick is, you say you want people to do well. But you want them do to well by taking the road that you approve of, as opposed to a road that may work for them.
Dick Vitale: No, no, I'm not.
Matt Lauer: Well, if the BCS work for LSU, why isn't that okay?
Dick Vitale: I-- I disagree with it. And I think that there's a higher and better quality of determining the national champion. And I think that promoting for me personally, see, you're saying what, I can't discuss what I wanna discuss?
Matt Lauer: No. You absolutely can.
Dick Vitale: I know. But-- but Matt, you're going in and saying that-- that I can't discuss this.
Matt Lauer: I'm only asking, isn't there a possibility that-- do-- do you examine the possibility that these things do work for some people? That yes, there are abuses. And yes, maybe they've gone too far in certain areas. Maybe there are some cases where the computer picks the wrong national champion--
Dick Vitale: Too many cases of the computer screwing up? Matt.
Matt Lauer: I'm just saying. But-- but aren't there--
Dick Vitale: Matt.
Matt Lauer: --examples where it works?
Dick Vitale: Matt. Matt, Matt, you don't even-- you're glib. You don't even know what the BCS is. If you start talking about strength of victory late in the season, you have to evaluate and watch the games on how they came up with these decisions, Matt, okay? That's what I've done. Then you go and you say where's-- where's the football test? Where's the test that says how much you have to beat a late season opponent by 60 points or more?
Matt Lauer: You're-- you're-- it's very impressive to listen to you. Because clearly, you've done the homework. And-- and you know the subject.
Dick Vitale: And you should.
Matt Lauer: And-- and--
Dick Vitale: And you should do that also.
Matt Lauer: And--
Dick Vitale: Because just knowing people who like the BCS isn't enough. You should be a little bit more responsible in knowing really--
Matt Lauer: I'm not advocating the BCS, Dick. And I'm not asking--
Dick Vitale: Well--
Matt Lauer: --anyone else to do it. I'm simply saying-- (OVERTALK)
Dick Vitale: Well, you are. You're saying--
Matt Lauer: I know some teams who seem to have been helped by it.
Dick Vitale: I-- but you're saying-- but you-- like-- this is a very important issue.
Matt Lauer: I couldn't agree more.
Dick Vitale: It's very-- and you know what? You're here on the Today Show.
Matt Lauer: Right.
Dick Vitale: And to talk about it in a way of saying, "Well, isn't it okay," and being reasonable about it when you don't know and I do, I think that you should be a little bit more responsible in knowing what it is.
Matt Lauer: But--
Dick Vitale: Because you-- you communicate to people.
Matt Lauer: But you're now telling me that your experiences with the people I know, which are zero, are more important than my experiences.
Dick Vitale: What do you mean by that?
Matt Lauer: You're telling me what's worked for teams I know or hasn't worked for teams I know. I'm telling you i've watched these teams and they were better than the others.
Dick Vitale: So, you're-- you're advocating it.
Matt Lauer: I am not. I'm telling you in their case--
(LAUGHTER) (OVERTALK)
Matt Lauer: In their individual case, it worked. I am not gonna go out and say--
Dick Vitale: Matt--
Matt Lauer: --"Affiliate your team with the BCS. It's the cure-all--
Dick Vitale: Matt, Matt.
Matt Lauer: --and the end-all."
Dick Vitale: Matt, but here's the point. What is the ideal scene for life. Okay. is that the national champion is the best team in the land with out the help of computers.
Matt Lauer: I would agree.
Dick Vitale: Okay. So, now you look at-- and you go okay. A-- a departure from that ideal scene is someone using a computer to determine a winner, okay. And then you go, okay. What is the theory and the science behind that, that justifies that?
Matt Lauer: Let me take this more general, 'cause I think you and I can go around in circles on this for awhile. And i respect your opinion ...
Do you want more people to understand Bracketology? Is that-- would that be a goal of yours?
Dick Vitale: You know what? I-- absolutely. Of course, you know. And people--
Matt Lauer: How do you go about that?
Dick Vitale: You just communicate about it. And the important thing is, like you and I talk about it, whether it's -- okay, if I wanna know something, I go and find out. Because I don't talk about things that I don't understand. I'll say, you know what? I'm not so sure about that. I'll go find more information about it so I can-- I can come to an opinion based on-- on the information that I have.
Matt Lauer: You -- you're so passionate about it. And I'm--
Dick Vitale: I'm passionate about learning. I'm passionate about life, Matt. Also, the Dukies are awesome, baby! With a capital "A"!
