Last year I thought about doing an
NCAA bracket style showdown between all the events on the Calendar. However, the idea came too late in March and
I didn’t have enough time to plan it all out.
With my book deadline fast approaching I didn’t think I would have time
to do it this year either, but so much has changed in the past week. The NCAA cancelled this year’s tourney, and
yesterday the Governor closed schools because we’re all facing a different kind
of “March Madness”. Many of us are
stuck at home, and let’s face it, we
need a laugh. Therefore, I thought it
might be fun to revive the idea and give it a try.
I present to you the Minnesota
Sports Infamy Tournament (#MnSIT). 68
events that have been deemed the most infamous, scandalous, embarrassing, and face
palming in Minnesota Sports History.
These events will face off in a showdown that mirrors what would have been
the schedule for the NCAA basketball tournament. The 68 events were chosen by my dedicated but
limited and quarantined writing staff (Me and my teacher co-workers Matt and
Kyle). The Selection Committee practiced
safe social distancing and submitted their rankings via email. Those rankings were compiled and the seedings
have been placed in the brackets/match-ups below. PLEASE DO (yes DO) complain in the comments
if you feel certain ‘bubble’ events that you are passionate about, didn’t make
the cut. The more social interaction the
better. Please use the hashtag #MnSIT DISCLAIMER: the committee has
always ruled out certain events that are deemed distasteful, or involve abuse of any kind. Its not ok to
laugh about those events. There are a few in our history (we all
know which ones), and they will never be a part of the WHENESOTA project. The 'First Four' will be play-in match-ups held on March 17 & 18 and the first round of the tournament will be held on Thursday March 19, & Friday March 20. The match-ups will also be held in accordance with MDH and CDC Social Distancing policies, with no fans in attendance. A poll will be placed on Twitter for each match up that will last 24 hours deciding which event advances. Entire schedulePlay in match-ups: March 17 & 18 Round of 64: March 19 & 20 Round of 32: March 21 & 22 Sweet 16: March 26 & 27 Elite 8: March 28 & 29 Final 4: Saturday April 4th - I was looking forward to The Eagles concert that day :-( Championship: Monday April 6th Remember this is for fun, and done with a big heart and good intentions. My goal is to make you laugh or smile and help us all get through this unsettling time with some sanity. Sports are so far away from what’s truly important. I’m hoping that this crisis will unite us again, much like 9/11 did, even if just for a little while. Survive and advance. Maybe by the time we have crowned the
champion of the MnSIT the crisis will have died down and we can return to some
level of normalcy. As self-appointed
Commissioner of Minnesota Sports Infamy, I declare this tournament OPEN! Printable Bracket Excel Version The first 4
Fred Smoot Region Norm Green Region Glen Taylor Region
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