2024 marks the third year of thr33som3s' take on the American college basketball national championship tournament with Grotto Madn3ss 3.

Each year, tens of millions of Americans watch the men's tournament fueling many billions in advertising and gambling revenue. Yet, the main attraction, the young boys and young men who play out the drama on those big stages do so predominantly with little to no financial compensation.

Over the past 3 years, the NCAA has implemented policies centered around NIL allowing athletes to participate in marketing and advertising ventures where they can be compensated for the use of their Name, Image and Likeness, NOT for their athletic endeavors and all the work put into them. At its best, this allows a few superstars to command sponsorship deals similar to their professional counterparts. But, the reality is that while the majority of athletes receive little to no financial reward, the lucky few that do are reduced to hawking themselves via social media platforms as little more than glorified influencers. Even with the potential for revenue from Name, Image and Likeness deals, the Big Dance of March Madness is mainly carried out on the backs of unpaid talent, essentially told, your labor doesn't deserve compensation, only your fame.

With this new work, thr33som3s explores this notion of Name, Image and Likeness both in sport and art. How do the thr33 separate elements of financial value to which these athletes have been reduced behave on their own? And, can you do the same with an artist... removed from their artwork? What happens when any of the individual measures of value becomes greater than the physical, athletic or artistic output? In 2024 Grotto Madn3ss, thr33som3s asks collectors to live in work that is only Name, or Image, or Likeness.

To further that exploration, thr33som3s again allows the chaotic outcome of sport to determine how his work is released and how it evolves over time. The 2024 Grotto Madn33ss 3 Tournament. tipped off on March 17th, 2023 with S3l3ction Sunday in The Grotto. thr33som3s drops a collection of 5 unique Brack3ts of 64 entries each playing out under the singular groupings of NAME, IMAGE and LIKENESS. Brack3t participants from The Grotto navigate three weeks of mens college basketball games to determine five Brack3t winners and an eventual 3v3nt Champion with new original artworks released during each round of the tournament - in a twist, only the losers of the first 62 games preceding the Championship can claim the new paintings.

Digital capture of original painting, gouache on vintage baseball card, 2024. NFThr33 image is for personal use, no commercial rights are granted. ALL thr33som3s have FUTURE UTILITY.