On the eve of the Sweet Sixteen, Ian Crouch categorized and ranked the surviving teams, with an eye toward tame mascots: http://nyr.kr/10etgA3

(Source: newyorker.com)

March Madness could cost you some serious bucks, and not just in the office bracket pool. Daniel Fromson explains: http://nyr.kr/10o0HDP

Marshall Henderson may be a P.R. nightmare for the N.C.A.A., says Ian Crouch— but one of its own making: http://nyr.kr/ZOeGiz

Photograph by Andy Lyons/Getty.

Optimism vs. Past Experience

In what promises to be the first of its many wins in this tournament, top-ranked Unjustified Optimism tips off against Everything You’ve Learned Over the Years when that guy Jonathan stops by your cubicle to see if you want to chip in a hundred dollars for this year’s March Madness pool. Note that neither of Optimism’s traditional first-round rivals—Self-Control and Awareness of Your Own Limitations—even qualified for the postseason this year.

 … and other personal March Madness match-ups: http://nyr.kr/WzhbsH

Why has sports betting been deemed an especially toxic form of gambling? In this video, James Surowiecki looks at why we have laws that ban sports betting in most of the U.S., and explains why he sees those bans as illogical and irrational: http://nyr.kr/ZokjFT

(Source: newyorker.com)

A Saturday morning cartoon. Don’t forget to enter this week’s caption contest: http://nyr.kr/r46had

How is your bracket holding up?

Amy Davidson on Baracketology and the ESPN vote