Perfect Bracket Foiled For Brad Binder As Syracuse Loses To Dayton
The dream of a perfect bracket has ended for Brad Binder. With Dayton’s upset of Syracuse on Saturday, the astronomical odds against a perfect bracket finally kicked in, and Binder’s fun ride came to an abrupt conclusion.
Binder has become something of a social media sensation in recent days, as his quest for the elusive perfect bracket captivated many participants who had seen their hopes dashed by the usual rash of early round upsets. Binder tallied an incredible 36 correct picks in a row before the Dayton Flyers ruined his perfect bracket.
The irony is that the 23-year old had not actually entered his bracket into any contest that awarded prize money. This includes Warren Buffett’s Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge, which is sponsored by Quicken Loans and run through Yahoo Sports. This contest offered the possibility of winning a cool billion for the mythical perfect bracket. Binder submitted his bracket through Yahoo, but was entered in a contest that awarded no prize money of any kind. Binder explained how this occurred before his perfect run came to a close:
“I was about to leave for work, and I was in a rush. I filled it out, and that was kind of it. I didn’t even really think about it. However, if I can reach out to Mr. Buffett, if he would consider grandfathering me in to be eligible and if he can make an exception, that would mean a lot to me and give everyone, I guess, a perfect bracket to root for.”
This explanation is perfectly valid, although if you are going to take the time filling out a bracket, it would be prudent to play for money, if only for the remote possibility of perfection.
He did display some humor with this tweet:
And that was the closest I’ve ever come to not winning a billion dollars
— Brad Binder (@Brad_Binder_) March 23, 2014
Binder achieved a modicum of celebrity during his brief run of perfection, acquiring thousands of new Twitter followers and receiving numerous interview requests. He was being treated as something of an oracle, asked by many to impart his unique wisdom to the masses. Binder has taken all of the attention in stride, and sent a message out to everyone who followed his perfect ride, for good or ill:
Thank you to everyone who supported me on my run, I had a blast. To the haters w/ nothing good & everything bad to say- reevaluate yourself
— Brad Binder (@Brad_Binder_) March 23, 2014
Before the Syracuse loss, Binder’s entry was the last known perfect bracket, as none remained on Yahoo, ESPN, or CBS Sports. Such is life, but it was certainly fun while it lasted.
[Image via Brad Binder @Brad_Binder_]
