ESPN’s new March Madness ad pokes fun at medicine commercials

The end of February means the start of a college sports favorite: the 2026 NCAA March Madness basketball tournament.

With March Madness comes the infamous bracket that people fill out to try and guess which teams will make the run through the tournament to the championship. Filling out brackets have become synonymous with March Madness, and this year, ESPN is poking fun at the craziness the tournament can create in people.

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A new ESPN ad released Feb. 23 marries the idea of March Madness bracket obsession, or what they call “Bracketbrain,” with the pharmaceutical ads people often see on television that have long warnings of potential side effects. The satirical ad claims there’s only one alleviation for people suffering from Bracketbrain: ESPN’s Tournament Challenge, a way to fill out and manage your bracket through March Madness’s run.

Watch the new ad below.

Watch ESPN’s latest March Madness commercial

In the ad, the “patients” seem to see the outline of brackets in their day-to-day lives, including in their food, the route they take while hiking, and the way they filled out a Scantron sheet while taking a test. These are all clear symptoms of Bracketbrain to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, who appears in the ad as the head of ESPN’s Department of Bracketology.

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“When the calendar hits March, filling out brackets is all anyone can think about,” Seth Ader, ESPN’s vice president of brand marketing said in a press release shared with USA TODAY. “With the Bracketbrain campaign, we’re shining a light on this great time of year, diagnosing the behavior, and reminding fans that ESPN Tournament Challenge is the place to celebrate their obsession.”

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The ad launched ahead of the 2026 NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments, which are both set to start in mid-March.

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Games are expected to start for the men’s tournament on March 17, while the women’s tournament is set to play its first games a…

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Publish date : 2026-02-23 16:30:00

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