The Transient Nature of Karma in the World of Sports as Brought About by Simple Office Betting

There is a reason why it isn't called "March Rational Tournament in which Everyone You Expect to Win Does So and North Carolina Ends Up the National Champions of NCAA Basketball."

No, my friends, it's March Madness. And March Madness is, if nothing else, Maddening. This is because traditional powerhouse basketball teams have a tendency to lose to weird little schools like Western Kentucky and East Tennessee State during the NCAA Basketball Tournament. And nobody can offer a sufficient explanation as to why this happens other than the obvious "well, they scored more points."

This is fine for simple tournament viewing, because it keeps things exciting and the underdog story and Cinderella and all that.

It sucks, though, when you're trying to fill out the old office bracket.

Sports are a notoriously superstitious affair for both players and fans alike. I have discussed the concept of the Sport's Curse on this blog before. The premise is that when I mention a team on this blog, that team inevitably falls apart and has a shitty season that year. It doesn't make any sense logically how mentioning anything on this blog could possibly alter events happening hundreds and thousands of miles away months and months after I write the post. Does it make any sense at all? No. Yet I am pretty sure, despite all things rational suggesting otherwise, that somehow I have that kind of season-killing potential.

All I know is, the year a certain college football team beat Ohio State and went to the Rose Bowl I was wearing a chip bowl turned helmet on my head. When I went to the Rose Bowl, that team lost to USC. I was not wearing my chip bowl helmet at that Rose Bowl.

Coincidence?

Today I have the opportunity to prove another of my sports karmic theories.

I went ahead and filled out my office bracket, threw down $20 that I will probably never see again, and am waiting to see if I will in fact ruin the lives of any number of championship bound teams.

So woe unto you, teams that I have picked. I may have just jinxed all of you. Of course, I hope that's not the case. I hope I can get my $20 dollars back. But I'm not holding my breath.