these match ups seem so strange - why not pit similar companies/services against each other? AT&T vs Verizon? Verizon FIOS vs Comcast? United Airlines vs Delta, etc etc.

I like this idea and the voting has been fun, but a little tweaking would make it really meaningful, I think

What a surprise, Best Buy had the biggest "win" - 13,081 to 920.

Are we calling these "wins" or "losses"?

@arras: Hear, hear. We could have had a "regional" bracket for each category, just like March Madness. Capital One vs. Video Professor is a meaningless matchup. Capital One vs. Citibank would have been epic.

I'm looking at a final four of American Arbitration v EBay/Paypal and WalMart v Countrywide.

My bet is a health-care company wins it all!

@arras: @Steaming Pile: Don't you guys want to see Comcast vs. Verizon in the finals?

WaMu and Video Professor are thanking their lucky stars to have been eliminated in the first round. Or perhaps it shows just how much they suck that US Air and Capital One could only beat them by like 1%.

I think we'll have an upset: Monster Cable.

@Imakeholesinu: My money's on Wal-Mart.

*rolls up sleeves*

Bring it.

Verizon FTL

@sleze69: Looks like DeBeers is gonna knock out Verizon. That whole killing tons of poor mine workers thing got to people.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: Blue Cross Blue Shield isn't a "company" - it's a "brand" that's licensed by separate, independent companies. Depending on where you are, your BCBS may be good or terrible. If your friend across the country has a beef with BCBS because of some policy or coverage decision, your BCBS plan may be exactly opposite in their policies!

@Steaming Pile: I may be mistaken, but I think the idea is to pit dissimilar companies so it doesn't become a case of simple preference. This way forces us to evaluate the company on its own and base our vote on how the company handles itself. *shrug* Maybe?

I don't get Exxon being on the list. They make an 8.6% profit on something we all want and need. They aren't screwing anyone and aren't hurting anyone.

Where is UPS?

I voted for Debeers but now that I think about it they shouldn't be on the list because I don't think that they are based in the United States.

Ben, Ben, Ben, why didn't you try organizing like companies (e.g., financials, cable, etc.) against one another, especially in the first couple of rounds. Putting Sears against Citi-Group? Come-on, where is the justice.

I think Ticketmaster is going to win, they really suck the big one.

Time Warner Cable vs American Airlines in the 2nd round?
I call re-do. This has to be an elite 8 offering, if not better.

@PeteRR:
Be careful, lots of people on here just see the amount of money that their 8.6% makes up and decide they are the cause of high gas prices...Yeah, I know, it doesn't make any sense to me either!

Dell should be in the second round. Not only for lousy computers, but also for lousy politics.

Lets see

[en.wikipedia.org]

[en.wikipedia.org]

[en.wikipedia.org]

[en.wikipedia.org]

Any one of these would rank Exxon in this list alone.

@zero_o: De Beers is headquartered in South Africa, but it’s a cartel rather than a company, so it’s based in quite a few places.

@Toof_75_75: It might be less the total dollar amount of the profits and more the “record” part of the profits.

@AstroPig7:
Isn't that the point of a business? Perhaps it should be considered that the government is also making them pay "record" taxes.

@Toof_75_75: Yes, but when your prices are also at record highs, it looks bad to your customers.

goddamn this is going to take forever

@AstroPig7:
I don't disagree that it "looks bad to customers" because the liberal media constantly blames gas companies. The problem, IMO, is just a lack of knowledge. People see record profits and record prices and automatically blame the company. What they neglect to understand is that the government is constantly imposing more taxes on them (Both Democratic candidates plan on imposing higher taxes on gas companies to punish them...) and profits and prices are not the only thing at all time highs. Consumption is also at record levels. Other countries are developing and using HUGE amounts more oil...supply and demand obviously leads us to see that prices are going to go up when demand goes up.

Holy shit, the hot one to watch is definitely United Healthcare vs Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing! That's like the match of the century! One company'll make you so sick that you have to go the hospital! The other one won't allow you treatment once you get there! WoOOoOoo!

@Steaming Pile: I agree with making match-ups more industry specific. I would it be nice to determine the worst in telecommunications, big box retailers, computer/electronics, common carriers, shippers, healthcare, banking, etc. And then put those winners in final match-ups to ultimately determine the worst company of them all.

I'm going with Comcast for the worst right now - because they are a monopoly who doesn't give a crap about customer service.

Walmart, BofA, Verizon - at least I have a choice to tell them to take a hike.

@Toof_75_75: I agree with the comment on supply and demand, but I wonder how much more public support an oil company could get by lowering its prices based on anticipated profits. Granted, they would see lower profits, but their public approval, and potentially their customer base, would rise significantly.

@AstroPig7:
I don't see their customer base going down...Hence the record profits...

I can see what you are saying, but I would be hard pressed to believe they would ever really get any public support. The whole "Green" movement has taken control and they would never be able to get any positive publicity...

No, no, no, you are all wrong.

Good, God, Crocs are disgusting. Why would they vote it out the first round? People are generally idiots. Wow, and CNN is out too, proves my point.

And how could Best Buy have the biggest "win" when they're not really that bad, clean stores (*cough* Walmart *cough), unopened products, and average customer service.

I also want to point out that it's pretty obvious Exxon is going to be the Worst Company in America of 2008 considering they are the company that basically affects everyone here. Only other company I can think of that will come close is United Health Care.

In fact, I'm calling it now, The final two will be "Exxon vs. United Health Care".

Best Buy is the obvious favorite going into this, but I really think Monster Cable has the chance to be this season's Cinderella story.

Just like the Davis Cup, it's the competition that never ends.

I'd like to see Countrywide Home Loans vs. Wal-Mart.

@strixus: Yes, Exxon has a nasty environmental record, but, last I checked, this was "Worst Company 2008", and the really nasty points you bring up, which are, yes, horrible (though, frankly, no worse than any other oil company-- see: Shell, particularly in Nigeria)... all happened in the past.

The reason people complain about Exxon these days isn't environmental reasons, it's high gas prices and record profits. This is stupid, of course-- it's not as though Exxon controls enough of the market to have any control over prices (the majority of oil production comes from national oil companies), so they're selling their product at market prices and making a profit due to continued strong demand. I didn't see anyone crying for their shareholders when they were losing money in the 90's, so...

If you really hate them, try driving less?

I'd bet anything it will be eBay/PalPal FTW!

@zero_o:

They sell worldwide, and recently began opening direct retail stores in the US in relatively exclusive areas in Beverly Hills, Houston and Dallas.

How did Google even make this list? That amazes me - I can't imagine them up with the Best Buys and Blockbusters of the world

@PeteRR: Naah, Exxon isn't screwing us. That is, if you're not counting the tax breaks they got from Bush, who they helped elect President. Oh, we'll give Exxon a whole bunch of money, and they'll bust their asses and find us a whole bunch more oil and we can continue wasting it for ninety cents a gallon. Yeah, right. They gave a large chunk of it to their retiring CEO. You know, Jabba the Hutt. That guy. I think Bill Maher called him Fat Bastard. The rest the other people running the company just put in their pockets.

How motherfarking hard is it to run an oil company? People are lining up to buy what you've got. Idiots are bidding up the price to north of $130 a barrel. How can you not make a shitload of money? Do these people deserve tax breaks? Hell no, but they took them. Gladly. They asked for them, pleading poverty, for Christ's sake. They're bleeding the American economy dry. It's grand theft on a colossal scale, and I bet they wound up killing more people over oil than DeBeers killed over those stupid shiny rocks.

@Invisobel: Seconded.

Also, I think the point is to compare the business practices, quality of service, etc. among the companies, which is product- or industry-neutral, and not to simply compare multiple companies' efforts within the same segment.

Going with Walmart Vs Best Buy(or Ticketmaster ) final 2 (Based on the matchups and the tendencies of people on this site to hate certain companies)

I will be receptive to any anti-Big-Oil gas-costs-too-much arguments after Americans prove this is actually important to them by no longer having a preference for insanely fuel-inefficient SUVs. If you think you need a 16mpg main battle tank to drive your toddlers around the city, then too hell with you when you complain about gas prices. Supply and demand, people.

Hopefully this contest will end by 2019

How were the companies originally seeded?

By preliminary votes? Editorial disdain? Prior consumer comments?

My favorite company to dislike was a lowly 15 seed if I am reading the chart correctly.

@AtomicPlayboy: SUV sales are plummeting in the US, as are their general value. Some car dealerships won't even accept SUVs as trade-in vehicles because they're too hard to resell. They're officially out of style.

Also, I would love to know why I've started seeing labels on gas stations' pumps saying my fuel now contains 10% ethanol, yet the price is still climbing steadily toward $4/gallon.