In 2024, around 710,000 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 under 20,000 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 2024
(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. (October 23, 2024). Total paid attendance at NCAA March Madness games from 2000 to 2024 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 22, 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 2024 (in 1,000s)." Chart. October 23, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 22, 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 2024 (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 22, 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 2024 (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Oct 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 2024 (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/219650/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-total-attendance/ (last visited December 22, 2024)
Total paid attendance at NCAA March Madness games from 2000 to 2024 (in 1,000s) [Graph], National Collegiate Athletic Association, October 23, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/219650/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-total-attendance/
