Joy Behar, left, attends the 2017 Broadcasting & Cable Hall Of Fame 27th Anniversary Gala on Oct. 16, 2017, in New York City. Nikole Hannah-Jones, center, speaks at Fairmont Century Plaza on Dec. 8, 2021, in Los Angeles. Brian Stelter is seen at the American Museum of Natural History on Dec. 12, 2021, in New York City. (Santiago Felipe / Getty Images; Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter; Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for CNN)
By Grant Atkinson March 15, 2022 at 2:42pm
In the sports world, March is dominated by college basketball. As soon as the bracket for the NCAA Tournament is revealed, sports fans begin to meticulously analyze each and every game.
Over the years, many have gotten into the spirit of March Madness by creating brackets for everything from fast food restaurants to Disney movies. But one bracket created by the conservative podcast “Ruthless” might just take the cake.
The “Liberal Hack Tournament” pits 66 of the most outspoken leftists against one another. You can fill out the full bracket online.
According to Fox News, 2022 marks the third year of the tournament, which has gained popularity online with the hashtag #HackMadness.
Last year, Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin defeated then-CNN host Chris Cuomo in the championship.
This year’s matchups will be decided by user polls on the “Ruthless” podcast’s official Twitter account.
The competition begins with a play-in on Tuesday between The Lincoln Project co-founder Reed Galen and Trump staffer-turned-CNN commentator Alyssa Farah. The round of 64 will begin on Thursday.
Welcome to the 3rd Annual Liberal Hack tournament, brought to you by @RuthlessPodcast #HackMadness pic.twitter.com/aDcVUHLdsx
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) March 15, 2022
Like the NCAA Tournament, the bracket is broken into four regions: Fake News, Establishment, Way-Too-Online and Liberal Activist.
Each region is seeded one through 16, with the one seed being the favorite.
In the Fake News region, CNN pundit Brian Stelter claimed the No. 1 seed. Former Texas lieutenant governor candidate Matthew Dowd is the one seed in the Establishment region, and defending champion Jennifer Rubin took the top spot in the Liberal Activist region.
Last but not least, “The 1619 Project” author Nikole Hannah-Jones earned the No. 1 seed in the Way-Too-Online region.
During the month of March, everybody loves a Cinderella story in which an underdog makes a run by defeating higher-seeded teams. There are a couple of great candidates to pull off upsets in this tournament.
In the Fake News region, CNN host Anderson Cooper is arguably underrated with a 15 seed. He will take on The Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol in the first round, and Cooper’s name recognition gives him a great chance to pull off a huge upset over the No. 2 seed.
In the Liberal Activist region, 11-seed Joy Behar has an excellent chance to take down MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnel. While O’Donnel spouts plenty of leftist talking points on his show “The Last Word,” Behar often goes viral for her ridiculous comments, giving her an excellent chance to move on in the tournament.
In a month full of brackets and intriguing matchups, a “Ruthless” spokesman told Fox the podcast feels confident this tournament can stand out from the rest.
“It’s the most highly anticipated tournament of its kind, and we’re confident the pageantry and participation in this year’s installment will top last year’s million-vote spectacle.”
Grant is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He has five years of writing experience with various outlets and enjoys covering politics and sports.
Grant is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He has five years of writing experience with various outlets and enjoys covering politics and sports.