Office Pool Culture: March Madness By the Numbers

Everyone loves a good bracket. There's some uniquely human about making a list, pitting the items on it against each other, and sequentially, systematically coming up with a winner. We like to think that there's something scientific behind the idea of "best," that Team X can be proven categorically superior to Team Y--that our favorite things are better than your favorite things--and the tournament bracket gives us that thrill in its purest form.

While the idea of the bracket isn't strictlylimited to March Madness, it is undeniably its ne plus ultra popularity-wise. According to a CareerBuilder survey, one in five workers said they've participated in a March Madness office pool in the past; 11 percent said they plan to this year. The survey also covered who's placing the bets, and which industries are the most bracket-happy. Did yours come out on top? Let's take a look.