~ 2014 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ~

Here are some of the more frequently asked questions that I have been asked or that might come up (mostly copied from last year):

 
Q.  What is the 'May Mayhem Tournament of Champions'?
A.  The May Mayhem Tournament of Champions (or, simply, The Tournament) is a parody of the NCAA 'March Madness' tournament, comprised of friends that runs its course through the month of May. 

Similar to its NCAA inspiration, the Tournament begins with 64 and, through single-elimination match-ups, an eventual champion -- the Champion of Champions -- is crowned.  

In the past, it had been the first of three big events in my calendar based upon the Familiarity Ranking System (FRS): The May Mayhem Tournament of Champions (in May); followed by the FRS World Series (October-ish); and then the FRS Championship Bowl Series (January).  Although, in keeping true to the parodies, the May Mayhem Tournament is, by far, the biggest of the three with 64 participants (vs. 8 in the World Series and 10 in the Championship Bowl Series), and the most "famous", as well as the most entertaining (to me).

 
Q.  How does it work? How do I win?  
A. While the live, head-to-head matches would be ideal and much more exciting, that is not currently possible due to it not be that big of a deal to most people, also the distance-factor for some of the players, as well as the limits of time and scheduling. Initially, I would advance the players as I saw fit (creating some upsets - because a Tournament has to have upsets) until Nicole Ison was crowned the 2011 Champion of Champions.  

In 2012, however, I switched to more of a game-show-esque format by having the final three rounds of the Tournament (the Enduring 8, Famed 4, and Final Showdown, and thus eventual Champion of Champions) decided by trivia...Nicole also won the 2012 Tournament in the trivia format, as well.  

In 2013, though, Andy Gorder won the entire Tournament, within the same game-show-esque, trivia-based format.  

In 2014, I will likely advance the first two rounds by my own discretion, if for no other reason, because to attempt to coordinate 64 (or even 32) people into something like this is either a) not possible or b) not worth the hassle.  I'll lean more towards Option B, only because I don't put limits on possibilities.
 
 
Q. How do you have time to do all of this?
A. There are several reasons why I do this:

1) I am creative guy -- I'd argue exceptionally creative...it's arguable...
2) I think it is a lot of fun and intriguing; I like having fun and enjoy being stimulated by intrigue...
3) It is a reminder of just how many awesome people I have in life; which are always good, refreshing thoughts to have...
4) It is a real challenge and a lot of work to set it this all up; I thrive on challenges and enjoy the (unnecessary) complexity for something that probably very few (of the already-limited-participants) care about as much as I do...
5) I am a single guy, which can be synonymous with "ample free time" ;) haha
6) Because there are, at least, a handful of people who genuinely enjoy it -- they are usually identified by the "likes" and comments conveying their intrigue/interest. And if I am able to make something that people enjoy, why wouldn't I do that?



Q.  How did The Tournament get started?
A.  For those who do not remember (or are unfamiliar), in December 2010, when I went through the labor of creating the Familiarity Ranking System (FRS) formula and began applying it to friends (like the BCS Ranking in college football), I then generated a large amount of data that, otherwise, was relatively useless -- even to me. So, in order to make use of this substantial amount of data, various games and tournaments were started to utilize the data: The May Mayhem Tournament of Champions was the first of these games.

 
Q.  What does the winner get?
A.  The 2014 Champion of Champions receives, in addition to pride (of course):

• Dinner at Stanford's on my dollar (because it is a great establishment and the Official Restaurant of Ryan Henley)
• Perhaps a nifty Certificate (if desired)... AND....
• Automatic Ryan Award nomination (in at least one category)

If enough people want to do the Bracket Challenge, then I may also toss in a trip to Stanford's and perhaps a 2014 Ryan Award consideration, as well, to the Bracket Challenge Champion.  However, in 2012 & 2013, I believe only one person (no more than three) participated and so there was no point in crowning a Bracket Challenge champion, and, thus, no prize was awarded.  If you'd like to play the Bracket Challenge, you can get the blank bracket here. More info on the bracket below.



Q.  How do I play the Bracket Challenge?
A.  I put the 2014 bracket online (it's a PDF) where you should be able to download it.  Depending on if you have Adobe Acrobat or Reader and the respective version, you may be able to fill-in your bracket electronically and email it back to me.  If that doesn't work, well, I reckon you are savvy and/or creative enough to find a way to get me your predictions (i.e. taking a picture of each region and sending to me, emailing predictions, etc.).

The 2014 Tournament begins on Monday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) so you just have to get your bracket into me by, say, 5pm Pacific Time (8pm Eastern) and we'll call it good.



Q.  I was // was not selected into the Tournament, why??
A.  Originally (in 2011), the FRS rankings dictated the bracket population (i.e. top 64 finishers became the Tournament participants), with the seeding largely being assigned based on one's position in the rankings (i.e. top 4 would be the four #1 seeds, etc.). However, since I have not done the FRS rankings in quite some time, the Tournament's population has no scientific or methodical basis.  

The higher seeds are typically friends that I have known a long time or am quite close with, and tapering towards folks that I may not see or talk with that often but who I still really enjoy or have fond memories of time spent.  And, then, there are other folks (usually outside of the UP-dominated population) that are selected for their unfamiliarity to most and thus upset potential or, as Hookah John Herboth called it: The Dark Horse Factor.


This year (2014), I got a little creative with the folks "on the bubble" and, because Selection Sunday fell on Spaz's 6th birthday, I let Spaz pick the final 6 entries into the Tournament (two of the #15 seeds, and all four of the #16 seeds).  I did video record this process but it was rather long and kind of boring to watch -- Spaz made his picks based on which treat he went to (each treat was assigned to someone "on the bubble") and he sometimes took his sweet time making his picks.  Anyway, so that was an interesting wrinkle in 2014's selection.
 
If you did not get selected into the Tournament, do not take it personally; it is no slight against you. If I did not think that you were an awesome person, I would not be friends with you -- it just so happens that the magic number in this Tournament is 64 and I have some 400-something friends (read: a lot of really great people are going to miss out).  Besides, there is always next year.



Q. Why a bracket-style Tournament?
A.  I really like bracket challenges and the bracket format because, all things being equal (as is the case here), they afford a great opportunity for excitement and intrigue.  Setting up the bracket with match-ups in mind is probably the most exciting part, for me.  Plotting the regions with some thought ahead as to potential match-ups with rivalries or other dramatic elements is, indeed, exciting.

However, while I really like competitions and tournaments, due to certain agreements I made with Jesus, I am limited to what sort of tournaments I am allowed to coordinate, and I am man of my word.  A tournament about how awesome my friends are? Jesus is cool with that topic... and most of my friends are too, I reckon. Everybody wins.


Q.  When do I find out when I "play" in the Tournament?
A.  I haven't figured out the schedule yet for the match-ups.  Because the opening rounds span the course of a few days, I try to spread it out and have some marquee match-ups on each day.  You can expect a schedule to be announced this upcoming weekend, though, just before the start of the Tournament.


Q.  The bracket lists a couple of organizations and then some "official sponsors" that I've never heard of... what's the deal? Do you get sponsorships for this??
A.  The organizations featured on the bracket -- My Voice Music and Foster Family Care Network -- are two local nonprofit organizations, here in Portland, that I personally support and believe in, so I give them both a lot of coverage in the various projects that I do (they've both been the focused beneficiaries of past Ryan Awards contributions, for example).  You should check them out if you're equally interested in helping out kids in the local (Portland) community.

As for sponsors: no, I do not have any sponsors.  The ones depicted on this year's bracket (2014) are all fictional companies that I created for past projects and so I use them periodically.  I find that the bracket looks more legitimate and clean when "sponsors" are attached.  If you would like to sponsor the Tournament or one of the rounds/marquee match-ups, let me know -- I'll hook you up.


If you have other specific questions, comment on this blog and I will address them there -- or otherwise contact me and I can field them.  I am excited and looking forward to getting the 2014 Tournament underway!

-Ryan.
Tournament Commissioner
The May Mayhem Tournament of Champions