March Madness is the biggest event in the NCAA. Each year, around four million people tune in to the tournament, with over 15 million tuning in for the final match. While this may pale in comparison to Super Bowl figures, Sunday Funday can’t compete with a month-long, single-elimination format.
Given the huge reputation behind March Madness, there’s plenty that slips under the radar in terms of how the tournament developed, how it’s hosted, and the incredible work that goes into creating this unforgettable sports spectacle. And with so much interest, a desire to peek behind the curtain isn’t unusual.
Did you know, for example, that the Indy500 is bigger than the Super Bowl and the FIFA World Cup, in terms of single-day events? It logs in around 300,000 to one million viewers. Even in non-sporting competitions, lesser-known facts and stats pique public interest. For example, the largest online poker tournament amassed over 307,000 players back in 2009.
Think you know March Madness inside and out? Keep reading for some of the lesser-known facts and figures that have made the tournament what it is today.
It Almost Wasn’t ‘March Madness’
The term March Madness was first coined in 1939, and it coincided with the first NCAA tournament—except that term was used for a separate basketball competition. Originally, the Illinois state high school basketball tournament was known as March Madness.
Throughout the 1980s and 90s, the NCAA and the Illinois High School Association traded legal blows in an effort to trademark the term. Today, the IHSA uses it for local competitions, while the NCAA has the rights to collegiate use.
A Surgical Crossover & Workplace Nightmare
Will millions tuning in to the NCAA and March Madness, the tournament actually has a tangible effect on professional life in the US. First, there’s been a growing correlation between paid time off for surgery and March Madness, during which time employees will purposefully schedule certain procedures for March in order to have more viewing time.
This has led some to dub the tournament ‘Vas Madness’, as the most common procedure is a vasectomy. According to ESPN, the number of procedures rose by 50% in recent years. However, even those who stick to their 9-to-5 might not be contributing much.
A study from consultants Challenger, Gray, & Christmas found that employees who follow the tournament could cost their companies up to $4 billion. According to the report, up to 20% of all employees will participate in a betting pool and bracket. Additionally, streaming is an issue; back in 2015, over 80 million live video streams covered the tournament.
The Floor is for Sale
The world of sports isn’t short on monetization opportunities, but the NCAA goes above and beyond each year when it puts the finals floor up for sale. Typically, the winning team will shell out huge sums to take home their game-winning court.
Sometimes, the floor finds a new home with the championship winners, where it goes on to host hundreds more games. However, many teams opt to break up the wooden planks to create unique memorabilia for players, fans, and a school’s home court.
UConn on Top
The NCAA sees plenty of coverage for women’s basketball, particularly for successful programs like the Huskies. The University of Connecticut has produced more than a handful of championship-winning teams, but they went above and beyond back in 2004 and again in 2014, when both the women’s and men’s teams took home national titles.
This isn’t just a unique factoid for NCAA basketball fans, but one of the most impressive feats in the sporting world. Typically, repeat wins are impressive enough—whether in the NCAA or in a professional league. However, it’s truly rare for men’s and women’s counterparts to take home titles in the same year.
For context, the UK’s Premier League has the FA Women’s Super League with affiliates for twelve teams—but there hasn’t been a double-win like with UConn. The same goes for the US’s NBA and WNBA. Though there are fewer affiliate teams, there’s yet to be anything like UConn’s sensational performance.
