March Madness has taken hold of us

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Reader -

I swear I'm not just writing to celebrate NC State's impressive Elite-8 appearance.

(but it was pretty dang great, right?)

We've canceled our dinner reservations for this weekend and are ordering BBQ (gotta represent!) to be holed up in front of our TV. One of the most hilarious and unexpected joys of watching sports- my sport, to be clear- with my kids is that they're repeating my commentary. Often, three or even all 4 of us are simultaneously talking AT THE TV.

I've also enjoyed this opportunity to reconnect with a couple of college friends I don't chat with much anymore. They all know they're getting a GIF at the end of the game. One friend admitted to only watching 2 min of the Sweet 16. I texted him at 8 min last weekend to ensure he was watching.

But speaking of sport -

​Did you see that Marketing Brew piece about advertisers spending more on women's tournament viewers than on men's?​

My kids have taken my many lectures about ad-supported entertainment to heart and are now playing "spot the ad" with every moment of NCAA.

We're not just talking about their absolute favorite ad, Box Out by Buffalo Wild Wings.

I'm embarrassed to say I sound a lot like this buffalo talking about the value of offensive rebounds.

They're spotting sponsorship placements and player endorsements.

Kids these days, amirite?

-Elizabeth

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p.s. Are you scrolling way down here for something serious? Jeeze, fine.

​The US and UK signed a landmark agreement to safety test AI models.

Is it too little too late? TBD. (probably) But it's better than nothing.