March Madness is known for its grand and celebratory moments, but also for the many heated moments it’s had, giving rise to some of the controversies that the tournament has witnessed, over the years. Let us take a look at some of the most controversial moments from the tournament.
March Madness VII: Water Vikings Raise Objections Regarding Judges’ Verdict
Written by: Luna
One of the most controversial moments from the March Madness tournament was during the seventh March Madness in 2022. This was a quarter-final battle held between the Ice Warriors and the Water Vikings. During this battle, because of how close it was, an overtime room was declared. Despite the intensity of the battle, the Ice Warriors came out on top. However, controversy and drama arose after the battle, with the Water Vikings requesting a review of the judging regarding a screenshot they found. It was a screenshot that they believed showed a judge swaying the other judges in favor of the Warriors due to their past drama with the Vikings. However, it was later declared that no review would take place of this battle but an investigation into bias would take place. The investigation was closed quickly as there was no bias detected by those involved. But did the Ice Warriors deserve their win? Should this battle have been reviewed? What if the bias was covered up?
Ice Warriors vs. Water Vikings, March Madness VII, 2022
March Madness VI: Battle Review Disputes
Written by: Headchicken
Following the 2021 March Madness Semi-Finals featuring the Rebel Penguin Federation and Army of Club Penguin, a review of the battle had been requested after confusion with the judge’s final verdict. This concluded with an official statement from the Club Penguin Army Headquarters administrative team, giving insight into the judging that took place. In the review post, CPAHQ revealed that the construction of the judging system was underway and that they would come to create better judging guidelines. The article made a statement overturning the battle, with a score of 2-1, an Army of CP win. The Ice Warriors vs. Help Force battle results, however, remained the same. Following this announcement, the Rebels dropped out of the CPAHQ league, making a post named “Bias Headquarters.” Rebel Penguin Federation leaders F6Sixer and Elexonck shared why they left CPAHQ. In the article, many of the screenshots provided were evidence as to why the judging that had taken place was biased. Soon after, the Rebel’s brother allies, Ice Warriors, would leave to create a new league known as Club Penguin Army Network. The two administrators were Rebel’s Leader, F6sixer, and Ice Warriors Creator, Iceyfeet1234. This league pledged to bring “fun and competitiveness back into the community”. One of the most debatable battle disputes, during a tournament, caused a stir-up in the army community, resulting in ultimate drama within CPAHQ. Could this judging error be one of the most controversial moments of March Madness? What would have happened if the Rebels were deemed finalists?
A picture of the battle showcased in the official by CPAHQ
March Madness V: Oops, Entered Early!
Written by: Purple
March Madness IV: A first-round battle turned into a three-way-battle
Written by: Disha
One of the Sweet Sixteen battles during the first round of March Madness IV was turned into a “three-way showdown”. This battle would feature three armies – the Underground Mafias Army, the Defenders of Club Penguin, and the Ice Warriors. The Underground Mafias were a known force within the Top Tens of Club Penguin Army Central, a news organization that was at the center of armies, back then. The Defenders of Club Penguin were a less-regarded army but wanted to prove their worth in the tournament after placing low in the Top Tens. However, this would come to be difficult as the Ice Warriors decided to return to the community and take part in the tournament. Despite their late entrance back into the community, they were seeded in a three-way as there was uncertainty regarding the Underground Mafias’ participation in the tournament. Can it be considered that the Ice Warriors’ place in the tournament was fortunate?
The Defenders were unsure of which army they would be battling against in their first round. Given that all of the other battles of the tournament were happening between two armies and not more, this was a first three-way tossup. This had put the Defenders in a position of injustice and unfairness. On March 12, 2016, the battle that took place had only two of the three armies, the Defenders and the Underground Mafias, show up. The Ice Warriors were deemed to have forfeited their place in the tournament. The Underground Mafias emerged victorious in the battle against the Defenders with a 3-0 win, due to having a size advantage. But what if the circumstances were different? What if the Ice Warriors decided to show up? How would the battle have been judged then? And what if, due to the existing uncertainty of the Mafias’ participation, the battle was between the Defenders and the Ice Warriors? Do you think the Defenders would have had a chance to win then? There can be debates regarding whether this moment can actually be considered controversial. However, it does mark a first in the history of the tournament, by allowing a three-way battle to happen among the participating armies.
Despite CPAC having no pictures of the battle, this showed how much each army maxed
Metal Warriors being robbed of their place in March Madness II
Written by: Coolguy
Now, let us take you back to March Madness II. The year was 2014 and the first day of the Sweet Sixteen had passed. The second day was upon the armies involved. The first battle of the day proved to be the most controversial. The battle saw the Hot Sauce Army battle against the Army of Club Penguin in a fierce and intense battle. The battle had a controversial moment before it had even begun as it saw the Hot Sauce Army enter the first room before it was even announced. Because of this, they suffered a penalty. The battle saw the armies face off with approximately 40 troops each in the room with many locked out. The battle was fierce as neither army gave in. An overtime room was given to them to test their abilities and resilience. Despite this, neither army fell. The overall result was a vote count of 3-2, giving the Hot Sauce Army the win.
However, the Hot Sauce Army was soon disqualified from the tournament because several of their members told Club Penguin Army Central (the tournament holders), that Metal Warriors had asked them to take their place, this was not the case, however. They then went ahead and told Bluesockawa2 that they had been given permission by another organizer to take their place. This, of course, was untrue but because the tournament was nearing, little had been discussed. Because this had been “confirmed” by multiple Hot Sauce members, it was taken as if it were the truth. Despite all of this lying and deception, the truth was soon uncovered as Metal Warriors showed up before the battle, only to be kicked out by the Hot Sauce members. This wasn’t fully discussed until after the battle, however. There were many controversies regarding this battle in particular but Metal Warriors were robbed of their chance to battle the Clovers in the Sweet Sixteen round. Because of the disqualification of the Hot Sauce Army, the Army of Club Penguin fought on and made their way past the Elite Four and all the way to the finals where they narrowly missed out on the title. Could Metal Warriors have beaten the Army of Club Penguin if they fought? We will never know. However, this goes down as one of the most controversial March Madness moments in history.
The battle between Army of Club Penguin and Hot Sauce Army – March Madness II, 2014
Dark Warriors win against the so-called outcasts, Doritos, in March Madness II
Written by: Spinister
Another controversial moment arose in March Madness II as armies rejected battling against the frontrunners of the tournament, the Doritos of Club Penguin. As a result, the Doritos were made to face the Dark Warriors due to the Warriors facing timing issues with their previous battle. The Doritos ultimately dropped out of the tournament due to them having a battle against Army Republic at the same time. Prior to the March Madness, an alliance named New Regime Alliance was formed between the Army Republic, Light Taroops, Water Vikings, Hot Sauce Arm,y and the Golds with the intention to destroy the Nations of Domination which consisted of the Doritos, the Army of Club Penguin, Rebel Penguin Federation, Ice Warriors, Special Weapons & Tactics, Underground Mafias Army, and Redemption Force.
No efforts were made by Club Penguin Army Central to pause the war, and compel the armies to avoid scheduling battles during the March Madness. As a result, a battle between the Doritos and Republic was scheduled at the same time as the tournament battle between the Doritos and Dark Warriors, which resulted in the Doritos deciding to sacrifice their tournament battle to battle in the war. From a positive point of view, this decision profited them as the alliance went on to claim victory against Regime Alliance. However, it also caused them to lose against the Dark Warriors. The Warriors ultimately took the win in the tournament battle, with a size peaking around 20-25, due to a no-show. They then advanced to Round 2 where they ultimately lost to the Ice Warriors. One question that remains is do you think Dark Warriors would’ve managed to take the win if the Doritos could have battled? Would the result of the battle differ? What would have been the outcome of the war? Should CPAC have intervened to make sure that the Doritos could have taken their place in the tournament?
The battle between Doritos of Club Penguin and Dark Warriors – March Madness II, 2014
These moments show some of the most controversial moments in March Madness history. With that being said, there have been a lot of good and bad moments during each March Madness competition. However, some controversies linger to this day with some controversies leading to monumental moments for the community. Will this year’s March Madness go without a hitch? Or will more controversies occur? Were there any controversies that we missed?
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