During the month of April, I’ve found that I need to budget myself so I don’t run out of money.
My nephew’s birthday is on April 2. My electric bill tends to fluctuate with the changing temperatures. Depending on who’s doing what, I may have to spend a little money for Easter. And, of course, I have to make sure that I have that $20 to $50 to pay whoever it is that wins my NCAA tournament ring, knowing full well that it won’t be me.
Every year I do this to myself, and my losing has become so steadfast and reliable that I’m basically treating it like another bill.
In this column, I’ve mentioned how sports enthusiasts like to compete against each other (outside the realm of actual athletics, of course) to satisfy this need for bragging rights. We have to be right as often as possible, otherwise we’re not doing our jobs as sports fans.
Not even the president is able to shake this particular urge. Obama made his picks on national television in early March and finished well, placing in the top 20 percent of the approximately 5 million that entered ESPN’s bracket challenge.
After he correctly picked North Carolina to win the title, Obama looked at the camera and said, “North Carolina, I picked you last year … you let me down. Don’t embarrass me in front of the nation, all right?”
Perhaps fearing federal sanctions, UNC did not let Obama or their fans down as they pummeled Michigan State Monday night, 89-72. Nor did they let me down; by that time, I had long since thrown my bracket in the trash.
Despite the fact that I’ll probably never meet him or even see him in person, I still feel a little competitive with Obama. If I ever actually met him, I would probably end up being carted away by the Secret Service.
I wouldn’t threaten him or bully him in any way, but I’d probably say something like:
“Sir, while I do believe that you could be a very capable and competent leader to help our country through these dark times … #*%@ you for picking North Carolina!”
Once again, I have no grounds for an argument. The prez certainly did better than mostly everyone who filled out a bracket this year. Despite this, I would say it in a heartbeat. And, being a sports fan, he would probably understand.
Throughout the years, non-sports people have told me that I shouldn’t play a bracket challenge if I know I’m going to lose (especially when it costs me money).
In response, I always have the same answer:
It’s not about being totally, 100 percent right, or even winning. It’s about being right, plain and simple. Even if I’m wrong, I could be right about something else that no one else was right about, which makes me more right than everyone else, if only in that regard.
Childish? Absolutely. Inane? Probably. Pathetic? Maybe.
But we fans say it anyway.

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