MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Who came up with March Madness? Who owns the term?

March Basketball Madness. Game Day Party. Professional team championship. Playoff grid, tournament bracket. Regular season and final game. Ball for basketball. Sport poster. Vector illustration

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Who came up with March Madness? Who owns the term?

March Madness has officially begun. If you filled out bracket you’re probably glued to the games. The first round of the Men’s tournament started today, women start this weekend too.

There has been much talk about the term “March Madness”. Who owns it? Who came up with it? etc…

The term was first used back in 1982 when one of the announcers, Brent Musburger, randomly said it during one of the tournament games he was calling. It sort of became his thing after that. Then in 1996 there was a legal battle between the NCAA and an Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship, who apparently had been using the phrase since 1939. In a VERY unusual ruling the courts decided to give rights to both parties and created a “dual use trademark.” for March Madness.

Go UCONN!

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