Sports
March Madness History: Origins, Records, and Greatest Moments
It is that time of year when fans across the globe fill out their brackets and keep track of every game. March Madness started last week, but I am not here to give you live coverage.
Instead, I will delve into the history of the event, covering its origins, player/team/state performances, and some of the greatest teams to play.
Now, the tournament goes all the way back to 1939, when eight teams competed for a national championship with the finals taking place in Evanston, Illinois. The Oregon Webfoots defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 46-33.
How was March Madness named?
The name “March Madness” was coined by Henry V. Porter, who was a former Illinois High School Association official.
He felt it matched the excitement the tournament offered nationwide when writing about it in an essay. It was not until 1982 that the name was used on television when Brent Musburger used it. However, Musburger told the Rich Eisen show that “It stems from the Illinois State basketball tournament, and a car dealer in Chicago… It was accidental. Obviously, it stuck, and it is a great description.”
When you tune into a game, there is always an instrumental that welcomes you to the contest. In 1992, CBS Sports held a contest to determine what its next NCAA tournament telecast would be. Bob Christianson won and developed the melody during a cleaning frenzy. It has not been changed since, but there have been meetings about it that never garnered traction to replace it.
Why a perfect bracket is so difficult
In the history of March Madness, nobody has been able to fill out a perfect bracket, and the odds are nearly impossible. There is a 1 in 9.2 quintillion chance of being perfect. The closest anyone has gotten was in 2019, when Gregg Nigl had 49 correct game predictions. Purdue’s win busted the bracket, but it stands as the longest streak in the tournament’s history.
When it comes to appearing in the championship, the lowest seed to win was #8 Villanova in 1985. Three No. 11 seeds made it to the Final Four, but all of them lost, with the most recent being NC State in 2024. The Saint Peter’s Peacocks are the lowest seed to reach the Elite 8 as the No. 15 seed, beating Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue. They lost to UNC by twenty, and were led by Doug Ebert, who transferred in the off-season to the Bryant Bulldogs.
Three No. 15 seeds have made it to the Sweet Sixteen: Florida Gulf Coast, Oral Roberts, and Princeton. One upset was #15 Lehigh beat Duke 75-70, where guard CJ McCollum put up 30 points. He now plays in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks.
Historic upsets
During its nearly century-long existence, only two No. 16 seeds have taken down a No. 1 seed. UMBC decisively beat Virginia, 74-54, in 2018. It would take five years for the feat to be accomplished again. Farleigh-Dickenson University took down Purdue 63-58 in a game where the Knights clamped down on Zach Edey and the Boilermakers. FDU is the first 16 seed to win a second game after being in the first four. This past Thursday, Siena became the first 16 seed to have a double-digit lead over a No. 1 seed when they faced Duke. They made no substitutions until there were ten seconds left, and lost by six.
There are plenty of Cinderella stories in March Madness, but what about the powerhouses?
UCLA holds the record for most tournament titles with 11, followed by Kentucky at 8 and UNC at 6. On the flip side, some teams have played in the big dance but never won. Boise State has lost 10 games, which is the most by any University that has appeared. Eastern Kentucky and Colgate are among the other teams that have not won yet.
The most points scored in a March Madness game by a team was 149 by Loyola Marymount in 1990.
Austin Carr dropped 61 playing for Notre Dame, which was the most ever in the tournament by a single player in the year. The Fighting Irish beat Ohio University in the Regional Quarterfinals in 1970. This tournament has highlighted several superstars along the way. Bill Walton scored 41 points in the title game, while Carmelo Anthony holds the record for most points in a Final Four with 33 in his freshman year with Syracuse. Perhaps the most famous example is Stephen Curry’s run with Davidson in 2008. Curry led them to the Elite Eight as the No. 10 seed, scoring over 100 points in four games. One last performance that flew under the radar came in 2012 when Anthony Davis recorded a record 29 blocks with Kentucky.
Best March Madness coaches
Let us see how coaches have fared. Tom Izzo holds the longest-tenured streak of appearances in the tournament with 28. The Spartans have won one title in that timespan and appeared in eight Final Fours. Only Rick Barnes (30) from Providence and Coach K (36) from Duke have been to the Dance more times.
The only two states that have never had a team appear in the tourney are Alaska and Maine. Alaska does not have a D1 men’s basketball team, and the University of Maine has never made it either. Maine competes in the American East and is among 37 teams in the country to have never competed at the Big Dance.
There are plenty of late-game theatrics when it comes to March Madness. In total, there have been 47 buzzer beaters, with Kris Jenkins clinching the three to win the title for Villanova in 2016 being one of the most iconic.
Lastly, 20 teams have entered the tourney unbeaten, and seven won it all. This includes San Francisco, UNC (who won in triple OT), and UCLA, which has done it four times. Indiana is the last team to have a perfect season, way back in 1976. Gonzaga entered the tourney in 2021 undefeated and lost in the title game in 2021. Baylor spoiled their perfect season, winning by sixteen.
Once the buzzer sounds and the confetti comes down, there is a song that takes place. Called “One Shining Moment,” it was composed by David Barrett. Barrett had an exchange with a waitress about the ‘poetry of basketball’, and after she left, he began writing the song down on a napkin. The song was originally meant for the Super Bowl, but made its debut in 1987 at the tournament. It has changed many lives, and is now a tradition at the end of every tournament to be played.
Looking at the tournament this year, there have already been some interesting stats. High Point’s guard Chase Johnston hit his first two-point FG of the year, which was the game-winner against Wisconsin. Siena would have been the first team since 1979 to play all their starters for the whole game, but made a substitution with ten seconds left. It was too late as Duke escaped a scare. Nebraska earned its first two March Madness wins in school history and has a Big 10 showdown with Purdue this Friday. Miami of Ohio made it into the tournament despite having zero Quad-1 wins. Texas is the last double-digit seed remaining in the tournament.
This is March Madness, where dreams come true, and the powerhouses look to cement their legacy. Who will have their “One Shining Moment” at the end of the year, and what other upsets will happen? Keep on watching as the Sweet Sixteen kicks off this Friday.
Sports
Portugal coach: 'No one should doubt' Ronaldo could play 2030 World Cup
Nov 28, 2022; Lusail, Qatar; Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo (7) reacts during the second half of the group stage match in the 2022 World Cup at Lusail Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-Imagn Images With Cristiano Ronaldo set to be 45 years old when Portugal hosts the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Morocco, one might think it’s unlikely that he’ll be on the squad for what would be his seventh World Cup.
But don’t tell that to Portugal’s manager Roberto Martinez.
“No one should doubt that (he could play in 2030),” Martinez said Thursday in an appearance on Cadena Ser radio. “He’s earned it.”
Ronaldo, who debuted for Portugal at 18 in August of 2003, is comfortably the country’s leader in all-time appearances (226, 80 more than Joao Moutinho) and goals (143, 96 more than Pauleta).
He led Portugal to the 2016 European Championship and to a fourth-place finish at the 2006 World Cup, the country’s best finish at a World Cup since a third-place showing in 1966.
A penalty-kick goal against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar made him the first player to score at five different World Cups.
Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi are set to simultaneously become the first players in history to appear in six World Cups at this summer’s event.
“I have worked with many players that have won a Champions League or a Ballon d’Or, and the next day they lose their appetite. What we have with Ronaldo is an example of a different mentality,” Martinez said.
“I believe that having that goal is what allows for longevity. Of course, there is a genetic aspect, the work he puts in – he uses everything that can help his body – and his mentality.”
Portugal, in Group K for the first-ever 48-team World Cup, opens play June 17 against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston.
–Field Level Media
Sports
SoFi Stadium workers set to vote on strike ahead of World Cup
May 27, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sofi Stadium worker Alex Mejia protests with Immigrant rights advocates and labor groups outside the FIFA Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee offices for changes to worker credential policies that they say could expose stadium workers and immigrant communities to immigration enforcement during the World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images With tensions between the union that represents 2,000-plus workers at SoFi Stadium and the stadium operators at their boiling point, Unite Here Local 11 has halted negotiations and authorized a strike vote, The Athletic reported Friday.
The vote is set to take place at the end of next week — just one week before the stadium in Inglewood, Calif., is scheduled to host the opening game of the 2026 World Cup in the United States. That game features the Americans against Paraguay on June 12.
The union represents workers in concession services, including the people who both prepare and serve the stadium’s food and beverages.
In all, eight World Cup matches are scheduled for SoFi Stadium, the home of both the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers of the NFL. The venue also is slated to host key events during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The labor agreement between stadium operator Legends Global and United Here Local 11 has expired, and bargaining sessions have failed.
Kurt Petersen, the co-president of the union, told The Athletic that his group ended negotiations on Tuesday.
“We felt the company (Legends) were not taking the concerns and demands seriously enough,” Petersen said. “At midday (Tuesday), the workers told the company that we intend to proceed with a strike vote. The vote is scheduled for next week over two days on Thursday and Friday.”
In a statement to The Athletic, a Legends Global representative said about the potential strike vote: “Legends Global has enjoyed a strong relationship with Unite Here Local 11 for more than a decade and remains committed to reaching a fair agreement through good faith negotiations. We look forward to delivering an outstanding hospitality experience for fans at the FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium.”
The World Cup organizing committee in Los Angeles declined to comment on what impact a strike could have on the scheduled SoFi matches.
The union has made demands that include, according to The Athletic:
–A guarantee that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will not be allowed on venue grounds during the World Cup, saying their presence could jeopardize employee safety. Government officials have said ICE agents would be on hand with security and not immigation enforcement their primary duty.
–Restricted use of subcontractors.
–No use of automation or artificial intelligence that could cause the loss of union jobs.
–Release of information to the union that would detail things such as work hours or the distribution of tips and service charges.
“Our members are clear,” Petersen told The Athletic. “They are angry about this. We recognize the World Cup is an extraordinary event but the lack of transparency and movement is raising concerns and this could impact the 2,000 food service workers at the stadium.
“If we were to strike, then FIFA has a significant problem because other workers may not be accredited, which is a whole process for them requiring background checks a while in advance and would not be straightforward to rush through.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kyle Larson among drivers seeking Music City breakthrough
May 16, 2026; Dover, Delaware, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson climbs into his car during qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images Thirteen races.
That is how deep we are in a wild 2026 with a new format, and the baker’s dozen also represents the halfway point of this wacky regular season.
How crazy is it?
For starters, defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson has unimaginably gone 37 consecutive regular-season points races without a win.
That’s like starting at the Daytona 500, failing to find Victory Lane during a frustrating season and coming back to Florida for the next Speedweeks after the calendar has flipped with a big zero in the win column.
It has been an entire campaign for the No. 5 car — plus one.
The craziness was truly evident Sunday night when Kyle Busch’s former trucks series driver and close friend Daniel Suarez notched his third win by beating Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin when the heavens opened up and ended the Coca-Cola 600 after 373 laps, which turned the crown jewel event into the Coke 559.5.
However, the victory is penned into the record books just like the rain-shortened wins for Buddy Baker, Jimmie Johnson, David Reutimann and Bell. And also David Pearson’s 1974 victory that was trimmed to 360 laps for the nation’s energy crisis.
The win moved Suarez (-270 points) up to 10th in points from 14th, gridding him one spot behind teammate Carson Hocevar (-264) and giving Spire Motorsports two wins in 2026.
The next three drivers in front of the Spire ones in points are Bell, Chris Buescher and Larson, who have combined for exactly no wins.
Collect your payout if you had Spire Motorsports with two victories after 13 races while that trio of heavy hitters is completely winless.
“A bummer, just wasn’t meant to be today,” said Joe Gibbs Racing’s Bell, who won the 2024 600 after rain stopped it on Lap 249.
The frustrated No. 20 driver would not go all Milli Vanilli and blame it on the rain, adding, “That’s 2026 for us.”
This Sunday east of Nashville, the Cup Series will send out its best for the 300-lap Cracker Barrel 400 in Lebanon, Tenn.
It will be the sixth time for the series to travel to Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile, concrete, tri-oval track with 14 degrees of banking in the turns.
Of note, of course, is that it’s not that Nashville speedway, the venerable old short track that’s the second-longest running racing venue in the U.S.
That one is the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, where a Cup race was held every year from 1958 to 1984. More on that maybe later this season.
Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney is the defending winner in Nashville.
A dark-horse first-timer for Sunday night: Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith.
Then driving the No. 71 Chevrolet for Spire, the current No. 38 Ford driver finished a career-best second in the 2024 Music City event behind winner Joey Logano, who miraculously held on racing on fumes during multiple restarts in the 15-caution thriller that ran 31 extra laps.
Smith, 26, led 31 circuits in Sunday’s 600 and has been up front often this season.
“Comparing last year to this year, I really like where we’re at,” the Californian said. “I feel like we’ve taken that next step and are a lot stronger in a lot of areas. Our whole weekend seems to be going smoother and just better from a performance standpoint.”
Actually, Smith winning Sunday wouldn’t be that much of a longshot at all.
–Field Level Media
Portugal coach: 'No one should doubt' Ronaldo could play 2030 World Cup
SoFi Stadium workers set to vote on strike ahead of World Cup
