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The Evolution Of The March Madness Boss Button

Ups and downs for a white-collar institution.

For years now, the NCAA has offered not only online streaming of its March Madness tournament but also an ostensibly sneaky way to keep your viewing habits from rousing suspicion among the corner offices. The "Boss Button," with a single click, can hide your streaming video and drop down a bland, boilerplate image that looks like nothing suspicious if the boss stops by to ask for numbers on the Jenkins account. And as our society has changed, so too has the Boss Button. Let's take a walk through March history.

2006: The First (And Best) Boss Button

2007-2008: The Bar Chart Era

2009: The Button Sells Out

2010: The Button Goes Artisanal

2011: A New Dawn Of Interactivity

2012: Boring, But Fine

2013: The Great Comics Disaster

The takeaway: as always, the Boss Button's early stuff was better, and it's not looking good for this year. Start preparing your own emergency nonsense spreadsheet in case things get any worse.