The ball is tipped and there you are…

Congratulations to Hornets iconography for taking home the championship in the inaugural Axios Charlotte Charlotte Madness! Tournament. After three weeks, thousands of votes, and more than a few broken hearts*, only Hornets iconography remains standing after a stunning comeback victory over Financial Services.

The final was hotly contested with both the Financial services industry and Hornets iconography within 10 votes of one another for the majority of the time voting was open. It took a late grassroots push by Hornets enthusiasts to give it the momentum to pull away to the 387-338 final score.

It’s a shame that a similar group of financial services lovers couldn’t have come together to mount a similar push, but if anyone can appreciate losing due to the whims of a free and open marketplace, it’s the representatives of the financial services industry.

So congratulations to Hornets Iconography, your 2016 Charlotte Madness Champion!

I’d like to congratulate all of this year’s competitors for a great tournament. I’d like to recognize a few standout moments and performers that deserve special attention:

Fan Favorite: Hugh McManaway Statue

Hugh captures fans’ hearts with a surprising upset over the Gold Line Streetcar in the opening round but BB&T Ballpark was too much to handle in the second round for Hugh.

Flashes of Brilliance: The Rail Trail

The Rail Trail survived a matchup with Inferiority Complexes vs Other Big Cities in the first round, then topped the Time Warner Cable Arena to earn a spot in the Sweet 16. Sadly their run ended against Charlotte mainstay NASCAR, but the Rail Trail showed they will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.

Matchup of the Tournament: Financial Services vs NASCAR

While the closest matchup of the tournament was the final, the highest Thrill Score of the tournament in terms of firepower of the participants goes to [1] Financial Services vs [2] NASCAR in the Elite Eight.

Now that this year’s competition is over, let’s waste no time in looking toward next year’s tournament:

Diaper Dandies

These are some new entrants that weren’t eligible this year that I expect to make some noise in next year’s bracket:

• The Ink ‘n’ Ivy Patio at Packard Place HQ Charlotte
• Flight Beer Garden
• Plans for the Silver Line
• Viewing Axios Charlotte on your Oculus Rift

Last Four In

These are entrants that didn’t make the cut as their own entries for whatever reason this year but will likely return stronger than ever for next year’s tournament:

• Rocking Chairs at the Airport
• Grandmama
• Muggsy Bogues
• Disagreeing with the Rest of the State

First Four Out

Sadly not everyone can make the cut every year. These are a few of the entrants that really need to show the committee something if they want to be considered for the 2017 field:

• Emily Maynard
• Homeland
• Lowe’s
• The Penguin Sign

Thanks everyone for following along and voting. I hope you all had as much fun voting as I did putting this together.

*specifically mine, when Ric Flair didn’t make it out of the first round