March Madness: Big ratings, big bets plus a national taste for gnocchi, fajitas and sweet potato pie

OPINION:

There’s a high rolling culture at work here: March Madness has produced record-breaking TV ratings for CBS and $900 million in revenue for the NCAA. There are also some handsome sums for the teams themselves; regardless of their wins or losses, each can net $1.6 million just for appearing. If they reach the 16th round, make that $5 million, while $8.3 million goes to the teams in the Final Four.

But the big numbers go on: The American Gaming Association says that 40 million Americans filled out March Madness brackets, and will ultimately bet $9 billion on the tournament. Analysts at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an outplacement firm, also have news. The nation loses an estimated $1.9 billion in lost productivity while employees follow their teams. But at least desk-bound fans are eating well.

Workplace orders for food during weekday games are up by 7 percent nationwide says Bret Thorn, a columnist with National Restaurant News. He specifically cites stats released by Grub Hub, a nationwide food delivery service which reports that forward-thinking employers are now reluctant to fuss about the distractions, and see it all as a “morale building” opportunity in the workplace instead. Ah, but the take-out menu differs from Super Bowl mania, when enthusiasts must have pizza and wings or they get depressed and possibly belligerent.

“March Madness favorites tend to lean toward Tex-Mex, Italian and Japanese,” says Mr. Thorn. And here are the leading favorites, their popularity up by as much as 31 percent this week: Delectable potato gnocchi, steak fajitas, iced coffee, cold sesame noodles, guacamole and chips, churros, cheese enchiladas, Tekka maki  — that’s tuna sushi rolls - chicken caesar salad, collard greens, waffles and a favorite - sweet potato pie.