Barack Obama’s annual March Madness brackets are here … but people just want him to come back

Once again, former president Barack Obama has released his official March Madness brackets for all to see. But the reaction this year has been a little bit different than in years past.

First, though, the picks. Obama has a history of being just okay with his picks — not great, but passable, like most Americans. And this year, once again, there’s nothing particularly controversial about them. 

In the Men’s Bracket, his pick of Duke vs. North Carolina, with a Duke championship, probably mirrors a lot of other brackets. There are a few upset picks, particularly of some No. 12 seeds, but even that isn’t that outlandish given how often it occurs. 

It’s pretty much the same on the Women’s Bracket, with the Elite Eight as top seeds except for a surprise from No. 6 seed San Diego State. Obama’s Final Four consists of either No. 1 or No. 2 seeds. This is what’s often referred to as going “chalk.” 

There’s always been plenty of reaction to the former president’s picks, whether it be criticism of upset picks or his picking against a preferred school. That’s certainly true again this year. 

But something’s different in that much of this first wave of reaction has little to do with basketball. Instead, there’s a lot of love for Obama and a lot of “please come back!” calls. (Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, has refused to submit a public bracket; after all, it’s hard to spin a bad, busted bracket as being “fake news.”) 

Whatever you think of the former president’s bracket, the games have now tipped off. It’s time to follow along and see if Obama can actually get that pick percentage up this year. If not, maybe he should just let Michelle fill out his bracket in 2020.