Right About Now with Ryan Alford
Business News: Economic March Madness - NCAA Revenue - NASA astronauts & SpaceX Capsule - Cryptocurrency Trends
Fri, 21 Mar 2025
SUMMARYIn this episode of Right About Now, host Ryan Alford and co-host Chris Hansen dive into a dynamic mix of current events and business trends. They kick things off with the economic impact of March Madness, exploring productivity losses and the tournament's deep cultural influence. The conversation then shifts to Elon Musk and Tesla, examining public reactions and recent acts of vandalism. They also explore the evolving luxury car market, focusing on Ferrari’s shifting demographics and the challenges of maintaining brand integrity. Wrapping up on a lighter note, the duo discusses astronauts’ food choices in space, blending humor with sharp insights.TAKEAWAYS Economic impact of March Madness on productivity and businesses. Cultural significance of March Madness in corporate America. Statistics related to March Madness, including financial losses and economic boosts for host cities. Discussion on the financial dynamics of NCAA athletes versus college basketball coaches. Current events surrounding Elon Musk and Tesla, including societal reactions and vandalism incidents. Exploration of the implications of Musk's actions and media portrayal. Challenges faced by astronauts during extended space missions. Insights into the luxury car market, focusing on Ferrari's changing demographics. Comparison of brand integrity and quality between Ferrari and Lamborghini. The balance luxury brands must maintain between exclusivity and profitability. If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, join Ryan’s newsletter https://ryanalford.com/newsletter/ to get Ferrari level advice daily for FREE. Learn how to build a 7 figure business from your personal brand by signing up for a FREE introduction to personal branding https://ryanalford.com/personalbranding. Learn more by visiting our website at www.ryanisright.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What is the economic impact of March Madness?
We've got to bring the energy and talk about the economic impact of March Madness. Some stats that you won't believe. Maybe a little lack of productivity that goes on with the game watching. We're going to talk some craziness that's happening with Elon Musk and Tesla cars and specific crazy world we live in. And I'm sure if we avoid tariff talk at all, it'll be a miracle.
But hey, we are talking business, so we're going to bring it to you. Chris, are you going to fill out a bracket? Are you going to fill out a bracket?
Well, if you're telling me that I can use maybe some AI to help me, then yeah, then I may fill out a bracket. But I don't think I've ever filled out a bracket, ever.
Oh, gosh, Chris, man. Cue the womp, womp, womp music.
I like to gamble if I know I'm going to win. It ain't my game, bro.
Yeah, that shows you're an entrepreneur. You haven't been in corporate America where everybody does the bracket fill-outs.
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Chapter 2: How does March Madness affect business productivity?
Yes, that's 99% of my friends, you know, that know the sports player's stats and they know the teams and I'm just in the corner like, you know, where's the chips and dip act, boys? Yes.
Elon Hint Musk, there's an article that says, he says, Grok AI could beat Warren Buffett's March Madness Bracket Challenge because Warren Buffett does, look, no one has ever in the history of the tournament picked a perfect bracket. Never happened. all the games. It's crazy. I would think that that would have just accidentally happened just by chance, but it just shows you how.
Oh, and publicly has had that happen?
Yeah, I guess. It's been, you know, maybe someone.
I'm sure some dude in Auburn got it right one year. Yeah, exactly.
Some guy in one of the frat houses, you know. He has that story. There's a frat house somewhere in the southeast part of this country that has got a bracket right. Yeah, exactly. But here's what he said. This is kind of a fun one where Warren Buffett has a billion-dollar bet that if you exactly match the entire winning – tree of March madness, you can win a billion dollars.
Warren Buffett awards that. So Musk said in a reference to the NCAA basketball tournament bracket. So AI to figure out your pool. This did give me, I think I might reference AI in filling mine out this year. So I need to, you know, we record this earlier than Friday. So by the time you're listening to this, your bracket might already be busted because you,
We'll already have been through all the games on Thursday and probably getting into, you know, hopefully you're listening on the treadmill at 5 a.m. right when this release. We know we've got our loyal listeners to do that. But if you're not, then hopefully your brackets are already busted when you're hearing all this news. It can happen quick.
I don't want to live in a world where I can predict can predict that, you know, kind of want the randomness, right? which I hopefully will always have because we've got the human variability. But now that you mentioned, Hey, it might, maybe I can make a little money here, throw, but just tell Grok, give me a winning bracket.
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Chapter 3: Can AI help win the March Madness bracket challenge?
I started, you know, we're doing the research looking at what we're going to talk about today. This exact article, I feel like it's almost verbatim, Chris. We're going to go back and the team, you know, hopefully compare what it was. But the U.S. economy loses up to $20 billion to lost productivity over those four days from Thursday to Sunday. It's a lot of cash. 20 Bs.
Millions of Americans gear up to watch college basketball this week for the 2025 edition of one of the biggest sporting events of the year. So I don't know. I think we joked about this last year, but do you just shut it down? If you've got one of those companies where, let's just say SKUs for sports fans. Yeah. Yeah, federal holidays, Thursday. Especially if you have a workforce that skews.
I mean, I'm not being sexist, but it probably skews male. And I know everyone does brackets now. But if you have a workforce that you just know they're going to be They're heading this. Just say, all right, we're shutting down. Or you can take a vacation day. I bet you a lot. How many vacation days get taken tomorrow?
I was just wondering that. You know some dudes live for this. Oh, absolutely.
It is fun. I mean, no other point do I care when Iona and Alabama State are playing. You know, it's like the drama of the one and done, you know, the losing, you go home. I think that's what, you know, it's excitement because you're like, oh, you can feel for the kids the energy and the passion to stick around. They want to get that extra trip in, you know, the next weekend.
I'm down with it.
The 10 interesting stats here that I don't think anyone wants to miss. Top 10 March Madness stats and facts. These are mainly business things. Go to wallethub.com. You can look at this. Number 10. We'll start from the 10 and go backwards, Chris. There are 12 plus college basketball games are involved in a corruption case involving payments to players. Okay. We start at number 10.
I guess that was related to a tournament in the past. Number nine, 64,000. Alamo Dome, that's the Alamo Dome stadium's capacity for the Final Four this year. It can be extended to 72,000. I don't know if you've been to how many basketball games you've been to. Get your binoculars out to try to see the court.
I mean, basketball is like, I mean, a third of the size or half at best of a football field. And so you're trying to see the whole court and you're in a 64,000-person stadium? I don't know about that. No, thanks. I think I'd rather watch it on the TV, Chris.
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Chapter 4: Why are Tesla cars being targeted for vandalism?
Yeah, a lot of money and nostalgia. Look, man, we talked about sports cars. We're going to open pack in a little while. I said earlier it should have been basketball. It's football. But... Still, those are your top 10 March Madness stats and facts as it relates to business. And look, the bottom line is we've nailed that the unproductivity impact is high.
So hopefully, you know, businesses know what's happening. They plan accordingly. And hopefully your bracket's not already busted. We'll see how that goes. Yeah. You know, this this article is not to turn to sort of a immediate, you know, kind of a fun thing to a negative thing, Chris. But have you seen all these people like bashing, like throwing Molotov cocktails at freaking Tesla cars?
Yeah. People like firebombing Tesla dealerships and lighting charging stations on fire. This is ridiculous.
It's crazy. And I'm going to let you speak to what you said. I don't think it's his conspiracy theory as it kind of sort of sounds. It feels like instigation.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if you really look at a lot of these movements, there's someone financing them. And, you know, I made reference to the BLM movement, and I think it's pretty well known to the public now. There was a lot of money involved. moved through these type of movements, but there's a lot of paid agitators on both sides, right?
So, like we said before the show, how many people in their free time are just out like, you know, building pipe bombs and going to go risk it all because they want to piss off at Elon, right? So I think some of it's agitation or did you just piss off your base so much? But I like to think a lot of this is theater and paid agitation to create headlines and drama and controversy.
It does feel like it's just another way, like instigation from the other side. You know, side like they don't like what Elon's doing with the Doge and trying to save money. And like what? I mean.
And they're trying to scare people.
Yeah. But what has happened so bad yet that makes someone want to take this kind of action? Like that's not just pure speculation or. I don't know, waving the fan of trying to spark fires, like trying to get oxygen to a fire that may or may not even exist with things he might be enacting and trying to save the government. I mean, the guy's trying to help save the government money.
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Chapter 5: How is Elon Musk related to recent space missions?
Yeah. Orbit lowering. If you'd have told me at any time in my life, I would use orbit lowering and jettisoning its trunk. Smooth splashdown. All in this one sentence. I would not believe you.
Hey, we thought it was physically impossible 20 years ago, but here we are with reusable rockets.
Yes, exactly. But again, they're home safe and it's good news. We appreciate SpaceX for getting them back after that one week. I mean, nine months. I mean, yeah. Space exhibition. I mean... Think about what's the first thing they want to eat. Don't tell me. They've got the space food up there. They've had all the dry eggs. They must have been at least getting them food, obviously.
One week and nine months, they were either rationing really good or I think they were sending them supplies. It's like, can we please get that steak sandwich? How long does it take to get there? I need a grilled steak or hamburger or something. Not that dried, you know, what is it? Eggs in a box.
Yeah.
Dehydrated. Dehydrated. It's so funny. My dad, Steve offered, I love him, but he's got like these prep kits and my dad's not, he's kind of that guy, but not really that guy. He's got all the kids just in case things go wrong. And I helped him move a couple weekends ago. And we're moving. And in his pod, moving the pod, I'm moving this pod, he's got like 50 of these containers.
They're probably like 25 pounds each and like a foot, you know, two feet tall, one feet wide. I got some of those. And I'm moving them. And one of them is significantly lighter than the others. Yeah. His buddy Bob, who's – my dad's 73, is over there. They're both kind of like sort of pretending to move. I'm actually doing all the moving. Look, I'm a young buck. I can do it.
But they go – he goes, oh, yeah, that was probably pretty light. He's like, Bob and I got into that. We decided to cook dinner to see what we would be in for if we ever needed to use it. We wanted to know. He said, it's pretty good. You ought to take one home. It was what, eggs? Yeah. It was... Oh, no, I'm losing my YouTube button. It was everything...
that you would imagine dried up like in packets.
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Chapter 6: What happened to NASA's stranded astronauts?
Yes. 40% of Ferrari's new clients are under 40, up from 30% just 18 months ago.
Their CEO credited the shift to the company's team efforts. The brand maintains exclusivity with nearly 75% of sales going to existing customers. I mean, which sort of makes sense. You know, a lot of rich people that own them, buy another one, get in line.
They're very strict on it. You can't buy a brand new one unless you've owned one previously.
Yep. Ferrari maintains strict production, ensuring demand always exceeds supply. Enzo Ferrari's philosophy, we always deliver one less car than the market demands. Smart. I mean, it's smart. And I mean, I just didn't have their financials, but I assume they're making money. But I get it. Hey, that's the brand. It's luxury. But you're always sort of capped on some level. But you know what?
I mean, that's not a bad thing. It's like, you know, if you're always profitable... And you'd rather make steady income than chasing. Because then you buy the roads. Yeah. Quality goes down.
You sacrifice quality. Like Lamborghini's quality is crap now.
Yeah.
If you disassemble a Lamborghini, it's Audi parts. Like if you open the center console of a Lamborghini truck, the Urus, it's got the Audi logos in it. Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah. It's all the same, man. That's why they're one of the few that's still kind of... isn't, you know, mass produced. Yeah.
Do you think, um, Ferrari's looked at as a better car?
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