The 2021 tournament was a real bust. Well, if you’re a fan of red squirrels, which I am. I like the dark horses, the Mighty Ducks, and that always puts me at odds with statistics. And so it was with the short-tailed shrew in 2020, and the beaver in 2019. But what’s better than a beaver? A whole lodge of beavers. So this year I’m putting all my chips on the angry mob of beavers out for vengeance. Who are you going to pick for the 2022 March Mammal Madness champion? If you have no idea what any of this means, then you’re in for a treat. So sit down, buckle up, and enjoy the ride. It’s March Mammal Madness time!
Win the Contest, Win a Sticker!
Welcome to the 4th annual Crow’s Path March Mammal Madness Contest. Rules are simple: Pick the top bracket and win a sticker. Bonus prize: if you’re the winner and a patron, you’ll get our beautiful Dale the Fire Gnome shirt.
Contest Details
Red Kangaroo – your March Mammal Madness 2021 champion
The Crow’s Path contest is open to anyone and everyone, so tell your friends, family, neighbors, students, and any other mammal you know who has opposable thumbs (though you can only submit one bracket). Anyone who submits a bracket by 11:59pm on March 9 will be eligible for the contest. After the championship match on March 31, we’ll score all the brackets and announce the winner by April 5. You can learn more about the tournament at Katie Hinde’s blog and follow along #2022MMM on Twitter
- February 24: Brackets are released
- Midnight, March 13: Deadline to submit your bracket to be officially entered in the Crow’s Path contest. You can enter a bracket by filling out and email a bracket to me or using the online form
- March 14: Tournament begins with the wildcard match
- March 14 – April 6: Follow the tournament on Twitter #2022MMM and cheer on your favorite contestants
- April 1: Last chance to sign up as a patron for a chance to win a hand-carved spoon
- April 6: Championship match
- April 7: Winners announced
About the MMM Tournament
From the official MMM website: “Inspired by (but in no way affiliated with or representing) the NCAA College Basketball March Madness Championship Tournament, March Mammal Madness is an annual tournament of *simulated* combat competition among mammals. Scientific literature is cited to substantiate likely outcomes as a probabilistic function of the two species’ attributes within the battle environment. Attributes considered in calculating battle outcome include temperament, weaponry, armor, body mass, running speed, fight style, physiology, and motivation.
“Through the scientific information embedded in the bout descriptions, participants are educated about inter-species interactions, the importance of ecological context, how natural selection has shaped adaptations, and conservation management of endangered species.”
Resources
- Official March Mammal Madness Site
- Academic resources for the tournament: ASU Library
- Follow MMM on Twitter
- MC Marmot on YouTube
- More about Katie Hinde
