a jumbotron screen showing the march madness logo

How is your bracket doing? Some of us here in the Nashville office are doing surprisingly well. And some of us…Well, some of us would rather not talk about it.

It did get us thinking, though. Did you know that the logistics industry helps make March Madness happen? It’s true. A major tournament like March Madness has a lot of moving pieces, and those pieces can’t come together without some help from shippers, carriers, and the people like us who put them together.

So, we started thinking about what March Madness would look like without logistics and supply chain management. The short version is that it wouldn't go so well. Want to know how? Let’s take a look.

The Word “Basketball” Might Get a Little Too Literal without the Logistics Process

rows of peach-filled baskets at an outdoor market

There are too many logistics functions to name. Every one of them, from supply chain management to the movement of goods, plays a part in major sporting events like March Madness. Without them, even the most basic parts of March Madness would look very different.

But first, let's take a quick detour away from logistics and supply chain management to talk about the invention of basketball. Stick with us for a minute. We promise there's a connection.

James Naismith invented basketball in 1891. Players scored points by throwing a ball into a peach basket. To quote the Wikipedia article on the topic, "every time a point was scored, the game was halted so the janitor could bring out a ladder and retrieve the ball." Fortunately, they did eventually figure out that they could cut a hole in the bottom of the basket.

Now, what does this have to do with the supply chain or logistics? Well, without logistics processes, a lot of teams may still be playing with peach baskets and whatever ball they had lying around the gym.

There's only a small handful of basketball manufacturing companies in the United States. Thanks to the logistics industry, those basketballs can be shipped to college gyms all over the country. That's not the only part of this supply chain process, though. A basketball has to be produced before it can be shipped, and what do we need for that to happen? More shipping. Raw materials, machine parts, and all sorts of other goods have to make it to the manufacturer before they can make a basketball.

The same idea applies to the hoops. Manufacturers need materials like plexiglass, metal, and nylon in a timely manner. Then, they'll need access to trucks that can handle large equipment.

The entire process involves material handling, inventory management, inbound logistics, and outbound logistics. Without a good transportation management system, peach baskets may be the only option available.

Without Logistics Services, Your Favorite Team Would Practice on a Dirt Floor

an expanse of dirt with hills in the background and a person standing in the far distance

Without logistics and logistic management, your team wouldn't just be throwing balls into peach baskets. They'd be throwing those balls into peach baskets from a dirt floor.

Okay, fine. Realistically, there would probably just be fewer gyms across the country. They'd be in places that had easy access to lumber, since you need wood to build a gym floor. Come to think of it, is your favorite team near a heavily wooded area? Because if not, they might not exist at all without inbound and outbound logistics.

You Couldn’t Buy Cool Souvenirs without Logistics Operations

a blue foam finger reading “we’re #1” is propped on a wood floor against a dark green couch.

The logistics industry also helps fans buy souvenirs to remember the game. It's a lot like the basketballs we mentioned earlier. You can see logistics functions across the whole supply chain.

Want to get a poster? You'll need someone to ship paper. What about T-shirts? Somebody has to ship textiles. The same applies to foam fingers, too. You can't tell the world that you're #1 unless the foam reaches a manufacturer first.

And those are just the raw materials. Once the raw materials become souvenirs, they move on to the next part of the logistics system: boarding delivery vehicles to reach the fans.

If the Logistics Industry Disappeared, You’d Have to Draw Your Own Bracket

a lined spiral notebook surrounded by crumpled pieces of paper

Logistics management doesn't just impact the game directly, either. It also affects the game indirectly. Those effects have a very wide reach. For example, without logistics and supply chain management, you couldn't make a bracket online. If you really wanted to make one, you'd have to draw it yourself.

The good news is that you wouldn't have too much to draw. There'd probably be a lot fewer basketball teams, thanks to the reasons we've already established.

Still, drawing your own bracket may be your only option, because you wouldn't have a phone. The tech industry relies on logistics, too. In fact, unless you could see a game in person, you'd have no access to March Madness at all. Your TV and all of its parts had many steps along the supply chain before it reached you. Logistics companies are the ones who made it happen.

If There's No Logistics Management, Somebody Has to Get Very Good at Math

a black calculator against a yellow background

Speaking of electronics, how quickly can you count? If you can do it fast, you may have had a solid March Madness gig in a world without logistics companies. Somebody would have to add up the scores on their own, since there would be no scoreboard.

Fans Would Get Hangry without Logistics and Transportation Management

We almost made a joke about how without logistics management, at least the peach basket industry might still have a chance. But then we realized that it wouldn't, because peach baskets were invented to store peaches. Without logistics companies, those peaches would have nowhere to go.

In fact, all types of food would have nowhere to go. Logistics activities, like inventory control and the movement of goods, are vital for the food and beverage industry. Without logistics, fans would have very limited snack options, which is especially unfortunate, because whoever is keeping score will need all the brain power they can get.

Actually, There Might be No Fans at All without a Logistics Strategy

an image from the point of view of a person standing on a basketball court, holding a basketball, and looking at their watch

Of course, the lack of snacks may not matter if there's nobody to watch the game to begin with. Without logistics companies, fans may not be able to watch the game at all. Obviously, people need a way to get to the game, but we're also talking about business logistics and the global supply chain.

We already established that nobody would watch the game from a phone or TV, but there's a good chance that nobody would show up in person, either. That's because the logistics industry helps get seats in the gym. Those chairs have to be shipped, after all.

At this point, we're already asking the fans to watch some guys throw balls into a peach basket, forgo snacks, and keep track of the score themselves. Now they have to do all of that while standing. Something tells us that this wouldn't be a fun experience.

March Madness May Not Have Happened without Logistics Management

a basketball has just gone through the hoop and is on its way back down

Now, let's take a look at our final score. Without logistics and transportation management, March Madness would have:

no basketballs
no gym flooring
none of the good teams
no fans to watch the game
no digital brackets
no snacks
no souvenirs
no scoreboard

Without all of these things, the truth is that March Madness couldn't happen at all. You'd have nothing to talk to your relatives about. Not that it would matter, because you wouldn’t be able to talk to them in the first place. You can't visit them without a car, and the automotive industry relies on logistics companies, too. Plus, we’ve already established that there are no smartphones in this universe. so you can’t call, either.

Most people don't notice the impact that logistics has on everything we do. There's a reason for that. It's because supply chain management professionals, including third party logistic teams, are here to make life easier. The better we are at our job, the less people notice us.

We don't know about you, but we're glad that logistics teams are here. We're thrilled to be involved in everything from March Madness to grocery shopping.

If you're looking for help with logistics activities, Pearce Worldwide is here to help. Contact us today to learn more.

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March Madness without the Logistics Industry: What Would It Look Like?