March Madness is a time of tradition.
We thrill as Cinderella goes dancing. We all sing “One Shining Moment.” Everyone roots against Duke.
And we all get exceedingly sick of seeing the same commercials over and over and over again. And that’s before we even get out of the first round.
Last year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren terrorized a nation with their “What a Pro Wants” AT&T ad. Geico’s “Scoop, There It Is” made a nation say, “Please, make it go.” And who can forget Applebee’s Shrimp Sensations (as much as we all might want to)?
We’re just a couple of days into the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and it’s safe to say that, collectively, we’re all pretty sick of seeing several ads ad nauseum. What might have been slightly humorous the first time you saw it now has you begging for the sweet release of death every time it begins anew.
We asked our readers which 2025 March Madness commercials they’re already sick of before the Round of 32 even gets here. The general consensus seemed to revolve around two very annoying ads.
No. 1 The Geico Pig
This one is ironic, given that this commercial is about 15 years old. We suppose this is an attempt at a nostalgia play, which presumes people have nostalgia for commercials. To be fair, you can say that describes Marvel movies (ba-dum-ching). Regardless, whatever charm the return of the little piggie might have brought with it has already evaporated. Many March Madness viewers want to shut that window on the pig’s head (At least Mike McGlone is cashing some sweet residual checks).
No. 2 Jason Bateman/Batman
Like so many Jason Bateman movies between 2008 and 2016, the Bateman/Batman idea sounded good on paper and was mildly amusing at first but lost its charm somewhere around the second viewing. So you can imagine how insufferable it’s getting the 63rd time.
Honorable Mention
This isn’t to say that these are the only commercials college basketball fans are sick of already. Credit due to the ad wizards behind the upsetting Mountain Dew Seal commercial (a carryover from the Super Bowl), the Blake Griffin “Guarantee Guys” AT&T ad, the Liberty Biberty commercial, and every single Capital One commercial. Don’t worry; we hate you all!