It had all the hallmarks of an intense competition: brackets, head-to-head matchups, regional championships, and a final showdown for a national title. But this wasn’t college basketball—it was a tournament of legal academics and economists vying for a different kind of victory.

To mark its fiftieth anniversary, the Law & Economics Center at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School hosted its inaugural Manne Madness Tournament, a competition inspired by the NCAA’s March Madness. Named after Henry G. Manne ’52, a pioneer in the field of law and economics, the tournament brought together thirty-two professors, each tasked with delivering compelling lectures on law and economics to advance through the rounds.

The competition was no small affair. Lecturers were judged by more than 160 state and federal jurists, including US Circuit Court judges and state supreme court justices. Participants delivered fresh lectures each round, with the eight regional champions ultimately earning spots in the national championship, held last week in Miami.

The final victor? The Law School’s own M. Todd Henderson, the Michael J. Marks Professor of Law. Henderson earned the coveted national title, alongside a trophy, well-deserved bragging rights, and a $50,000 cash prize. (The trophy was a large hand-carved wooden gavel.)

For Henderson, the true reward of the experience existed beyond the prizes and praise. “Typical discussion of a paper draws a dozen or so marginally interested academics,” he said. “Here, I had the opportunity to deliver six hours of lectures to 150 or 160 highly engaged judges. That’s about as big an impact as you can have.”

Lectures delivered by Henderson included, the Law & Economics of Trust, the Law & Economics of Limited Liability, and the Law & Economics of Torts, among others.

Henderson lauded his competition, particularly his opponent in the final round: Catherine M. Sharkey, a distinguished professor at NYU Law and co-author (with Richard Epstein) of a leading case book. He also offered a hat tip to some “titans of economics and law and economics” who participated in the tournament, including economic all-stars Thomas Hazlett (Clemson), Dean Lueck (Indiana), and Mike Munger, (Duke).

Reflecting on the experience, Henderson acknowledged the depth of scholarship he witnessed throughout the tournament. “The quality of the lectures was remarkable,” he said.

Henderson also drew one other important lesson from the novel way the competition was structured. “It shows you can do things that make it more engaging without sacrificing the quality of the ideas,” he said. “Academics sometimes have an allergy to fun.”