LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For over 30 years, in the twilight of Winter, March Madness has taken center stage in the Sports World.
The pure competitive nature of kids from both big schools and small, playing for nothing but pride and the sheer love of the game. Unlike the College Bowl Championship Series, the NCAA Championship Tournament gives every team in the field of 64 an equal chance to cut down the nets and stake claim to a National Championship.
In no other major sport can you find such a scenario where small, unknown schools with seemingly obsolete talent get their shot to stand toe-to-toe with storied Universities rich with tradition and glory. It's this David versus Goliath aspect of March Madness that makes it so enticing to sports fans of all walks of life, but it's also what makes it such an impossible challenge.
We all set out with the intention of filling out the perfect bracket, only to have the first round quickly bring us back down to reality. What little hope you had of going a perfect 67-0 is quickly replaced by hoping you don't lose all of your Final Four teams by the end of the 2nd round. It's for this reason that every March, all men, women, and children painstakingly slave away at filling out their brackets, researching everything from a team's road record, to margin of victory, all in search of the big upsets and maybe a Cinderella, or two.
This seemingly impossible task was recently threatened by star Sports Handicapper Mike Cooper, of CoopersPick.com, who finished an amazing 64-3. In 2010, he became the first handicapper on record to ever fill out a perfect 48-0 bracket through the first two rounds of the tournament, even besting president Barack Obama's impressive bracket. Even more astonishing is that not only did he pick both rounds 100% correct straight up, but also against the spread.
This crowning achievement quickly launched Mr. Cooper into instant fame, and even though he had been highly regarded throughout the sports industry for almost 20 years, he became recognized and applauded by the mainstream media, practically overnight, being featured on CBS and ESPN.
“What Mr. Cooper accomplished is nothing short of amazing and is a source of inspiration for all of us who succumb to the annual March Madness,” according to Steve Smith, a sports fanatic. Sure Mr. Cooper is a seasoned pro with decades of experience and a natural knack for picking games, but he made the once seemingly impossible seem possible. So, as you're filling out your bracket this year, and trying to find the team to fit Cinderella's glass slipper, don't settle for mediocrity, go for perfection.