6 things more likely than winning Warren Buffett's March Madness challenge
It's March, my friends. That means Daylight Saving Time, feeling the warmth of sun for the first time in months, and — of course — basketball.
Yes, it's time for March Madness, the month-long frenzy where 64 teams compete in an unforgiving NCAA tournament that spurs both incredible memes and unforgettable champions. It's also time for those pesky brackets, you know those things you do with your coworkers this time of year where you pretend you know about basketball but really just pick teams based on mascots or jersey color.
Each year, business mogul Warren Buffett offers one lucky basketball fan $1 million a year for life to anyone who can pick a perfect bracket. This year is no different. And that sounds amazing, no? All you have to do is utilize your expert knowledge of collegiate basketball and you can be set financially for life.
Well, as you could have guessed, that's a lot easier said than done. Forbes puts the odds of actually doing so at somewhere between 1 in 128 billion and 1 in 9.2 quintillion. Those odds are incredibly slim, but just how slim are they?
Well here are a few things more likely to happen, in no particular order, just to put things in perspective.
Odds of being born with 11 fingers or toes — 1 in 1,000
Have you ever met anyone with 11 fingers or toes? Chances are no. But Seattle Children's Hospital says 1 in 1,000 newborns in the United States are born with Polydactyly, the medical term for being born with extra fingers or toes. That means you're way more likely to encounter someone with an additional appendage than pick a perfect bracket. Makes you think.
Odd of being incinerated by an asteroid — 1 in 74,817,414
The Economist, citing National Safety Council data from 2008, puts being killed by an asteroid as a hugely improbable way to die. Bruce Willis isn't always going to be able to save you. And even if he could, it's still more likely you'd be demolished by an asteroid than pick a perfect bracket.
Odds of winning an Olympic gold medal — 1 in 662,000
Forbes puts the odds at winning a gold medal at .0000015%. So. you can try, but you'll (almost) never be Chloe Kim.
Odds of being drafted into the NBA — 1 in 6,864,000
Everyone wants to me like Mike. Or LeBron. But the Sports Digest says of 156,000 senior high school basketball players, only 44 will be drafted into the NBA. Hey, as Kevin Garnett would say, "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!"
Odds of being injured by a toilet — 1 in 10,000
This number seems impossibly high, but according to National Geographic, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's highly possible (comparatively) to be injured by a toilet. Sometimes the poop fights back, you know?
Odds of becoming president — 1 in 10,000,000
This one, from Forbes, may be a tad bit off. But hey. One can hope.
