Gambling has turned Americans against their own teams

Published March 20, 2026 5:39am ET



March Madness is upon us, which means about a third of Americans — almost 100 million people — will be filling out brackets to compete at the office, among friends, or even just with family members. 

College basketball tournament brackets have been a cultural phenomenon since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, but the advent of the internet made filling out brackets and tabulating results much easier, driving both increased participation and tournament viewership.

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