From Modest Origins to the Present Day
The origins of bracketology are subject to speculation. There is no particular event that is recognized as the first time a bracket was filled out in advance of tournament play. The practice of filling out brackets for the tournament probably began in office or bar pools. The stakes of these initial contests were tangible, more than likely centered around betting. The ritual of filling out brackets spread from office to office until it became recognized as a staple of cubicle culture in March.
Joe Sullivan, Sports Editor of The Boston Globe
Joe Sullivan, Sports Editor of The Boston Globe takes special interest in the history of the NCAA basketball tournament. According to Sullivan, the television coverage of the tournament was a major factor that lead to the popularization of bracketology. CBS was the only network that would broadcast games nationally until ESPN began covering the opening rounds starting in 1982. ESPN revolutionized the media coverage of the tournament by broadcasting six first round games on the Thursday and Friday nights that the games were played. Although these games were not aired live, it provided a means for the entire country to watch games that were not solely of regional interest. Therefore, more people became interested in the tournament because it was more accessible. ESPN also was the first network to switch to games live in critical situations, interrupting the game that was currently being aired. This engaged viewers because they were able to watch the exciting live events unfold, instead of seeing them on replay. The evolution of television coverage lead to a greater public interest in the tournament, which contributed to the growing field of bracketology.
Joe Lunardi, ESPN Bracketologist
Both Joe Lunardi, ESPN bracketologist, and Sullivan point to a specific event that facilitated the growth of bracketology to the phenomenon it is today. The tournament expanded in 1985 to incorporate a total of 64 teams, an increase from the previous total of 48 teams invited. This expansion also exchanged the format of the tournament, which eliminated first round byes. Both of these factors made filling out a bracket more appealing to the public. A larger field of teams allowed for more games to be played and more variation in brackets. Without byes in the first round, the format of the bracket was symmetrical and easy to understand. An expanded bracket and better television coverage of the tournament helped the budding field of bracketology blossom.
Despite the expansion and growing popularity, it took a pioneer in Lunardi to secularize bracketology and make it a household word. In an interview with Lunardi he recounted:
"I used to own a college basketball publishing company called Blue Ribbon and we published The Blue Ribbon Yearbook ever year at the beginning of the season. It was a pretty thick and meaty preview book of the Division 1 scene. In the mid-90's, I had the idea 'What if we added a postseason edition? Suppose we could get those picks out on Sunday night and get the book out by Thursday. Would people have an interest in that? Do they want more information?'"
The answers to Lunardi's questions came quickly. The postseason issues were immensely popular and he recognized the immense potential of speculating the outcome of the tournament. He continued to publish the postseason edition and became a figure of the tournament. According to an article in Time Magazine, Lunardi called himself a "bracketologist" in 1996 when interviewing with The Philadelphia Inquirer. In the interview conducted with Lunardi, he denied coining the term, stating that he was not clever enough to create such a term. According to him, The Philadelphia Inquirer beat writer for Temple at the time, Mike Jensen, created the term and used it in his article. Lunardi claims to have been in the right place at the right time.
The word "bracketology" remained esoteric until 2002. According to an article from The Washington Post, "It was not until mid-January 2002 when ESPN put Lunardi's bracket on its Web page that he fully understood the insatiable appetite for them. Within 90 minutes of posting the bracket, the page received 250,000 hits." An interesting point made by Lunardi in a separate interview is that ESPN did not approach him about publishing his brackets on their website. Rather, he approached ESPN about publishing his bracket on ESPN.com, speculating that there would be an interest in his online projections. Nevertheless, the large volume in response from the online viewers was a big surprise to both ESPN and Lunardi. Since 2002, bracketology has had an increasing role in ESPN's programming. In addition, it has become an integral part of the NCAA tournament experience.
