In 2023, over 722 thousand fans watched the games of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament live in the arenas. Commonly known as March Madness, the tournament attracted an average audience of just over 20 thousand spectators that year. Since 2000, the year with the highest total attendance was 2013, with nearly 800 thousand.
Total paid attendance at NCAA March Madness games from 2000 to 2023
(in 1,000s)
In 2000, 64 games were played in the tournament, from 2001 to 2010, 65 games were played and from 2011 onwards, the number of games was 68.
The 2020 edition of the tournament was canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Attendance in the 2021 tournament was limited as a result of the pandemic.
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National Collegiate Athletic Association. (February 27, 2024). Total paid attendance at NCAA March Madness games from 2000 to 2023 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/219650/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-total-attendance/
National Collegiate Athletic Association. "Total paid attendance at NCAA March Madness games from 2000 to 2023 (in 1,000s)." Chart. February 27, 2024. Statista. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/219650/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-total-attendance/
National Collegiate Athletic Association. (2024). Total paid attendance at NCAA March Madness games from 2000 to 2023 (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/219650/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-total-attendance/
National Collegiate Athletic Association. "Total Paid Attendance at Ncaa March Madness Games from 2000 to 2023 (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 27 Feb 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/219650/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-total-attendance/
National Collegiate Athletic Association, Total paid attendance at NCAA March Madness games from 2000 to 2023 (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/219650/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-total-attendance/ (last visited November 21, 2024)
Total paid attendance at NCAA March Madness games from 2000 to 2023 (in 1,000s) [Graph], National Collegiate Athletic Association, February 27, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/219650/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-total-attendance/
