The NCAA News - News and FeaturesJune 15, 1998
Attendance Bounce...
Women's basketball attendance soars past seven million
BY RICHARD M. CAMPBELL
NCAA STATISTICS COORDINATOR
NCAA women's national home basketball attendance in 1997-98 reached an all-time high for the 17th consecutive year and in the process cruised past the seven million mark for the first time.
The total of 7,387,335 for all NCAA varsity teams, including selected double-header games with men, was a net increase of 653,194 (nearly 10 percent) over the 1996-97 total. The figures include all 911 NCAA institutions with varsity teams -- 300 of which are Division I members.
A new method of counting home double-header games with men was used for the second straight year as the women continued a record-breaking trend that stretches back to 1981-82, the first season of NCAA sponsorship and the first season for which the NCAA Statistics Service began tabulating women's attendance.
The new method used to determine women's double-header attendance is to count attendance by half time of the women's game as long as the institution has a way to single out women's attendance from men's. Before the 1996-97 season, double-header attendance was not counted at all for the women.
The total increase this year marked a 9.70 percent improvement. Attendance also increased at every level. Division I upped its total by 434,006 (up 9.60 percent) and raised its average per game to 1,334. The NCAA Division I tournament also set new marks for total attendance (285,428) and per-game average (6,796).
Division II home attendance was up 81,490 (7.66 percent), while Division III was up 53,174 (7.79 percent). The Divisions II and III tournaments also showed an increase in per-game attendance.
NCAA women's national attendance has almost quadrupled from just more than 1.9 million in its first year to nearly 7.4 million in 1998. Per-game attendance also has increased by almost 2 1/2 times from 281 to 692 this year.
Six for Big Ten
For the sixth consecutive year, the Big Ten Conference captured the Division I conference attendance title and set national records in both total and per-game attendance.
Led by Wisconsin (third), Purdue (sixth), Iowa (ninth), Penn State (11th) and Illinois (15th), the Big Ten set a total attendance mark of 604,356, averaging a record 4,139 spectators per game.
The Southeastern Conference was second in both total (551,425) and per-game (3,581) attendance, followed by the Big 12 Conference with 545,081 total and 3,428 per game. In all, 13 Division I leagues averaged more than 1,000 spectators at every home game and a record six conferences averaged more than 2,000 per game.
Eighteen of the 30 Division I conferences set total attendance records and 12 established new per-game marks.
Rocky toppers tops
Riding a wave of success in the 1990s, Tennessee's Lady Vols not only won a third consecutive national championship on the court this year, but coach Pat Summitt's troops also set new marks for both total (239,511) and per-game (14,969) attendance. The per-game standard broke the previous record -- set last year by Tennessee -- by 4,469.
Tennessee also set a single-game women's attendance record by drawing 24,597 to Knoxville's Thompson-Boling Arena for an 84-69 victory over Connecticut January 3.
Connecticut finished second in home attendance, averaging 10,744 and edging out Wisconsin, which drew 10,455 per game. Texas Tech was fourth at 7,946 and Southwest Missouri State was fifth at 7,751.
Forty-five Division I teams averaged more than 2,000 spectators per contest. In overall attendance (including home, road and neutral sites), Tennessee topped Division I teams with 386,713. With 14,969 per game in 1997-98, Tennessee's women's team would rank ahead of all but the top 10 men's teams.
In Division II, North Dakota State, averaging 2,438 per game, captured the attendance title for the seventh straight year. South Dakota State was second at 2,290, followed by Emporia State at 2,234, North Dakota at 2,052 and Augustana (South Dakota) at 1,768.
Defiance won the Division III attendance title for the third consecutive year, averaging 950 per game to edge New York University's 891. Wisconsin-Eau Claire (865), Southern Maine (792) and Hendrix (700) finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Top teams
Division I Rank/Inst. |
Avg. Att. |
1. Tennessee |
14,969 |
2. Connecticut |
10,744 |
3. Wisconsin |
10,455 |
4. Texas Tech |
7,946 |
5. Southwest Mo. St. |
7,751 |
Division II Rank/Inst. |
Avg. Att. |
1. North Dak. St. |
2,438 |
2. South Dak. St. |
2,290 |
3. Emporia St. |
2,234 |
Division III Rank/Inst. |
Avg. Att. |
1. Defiance |
950 |
2. New York U. |
891 |
3. Wis.-Eau Claire |
865 |
1997-98 Women's Basketball Attendance
(NCAA teams only; home attendance includes double-headers with men in which separate attendance was taken by half time of the women's game)
Total Teams |
G or Sess. |
1997-98 Net Attendance |
Avg. PG or Sess. |
Change @ In Total |
|
Change @ In Avg. |
Home Attendance, NCAA Division I |
*300 |
*3,716 |
*4,956,057 |
*1,334 |
Up 434,006 |
Up 79 |
NCAA Division I Tournament |
-- |
42 |
*285,428 |
*6,796 |
Up 59,505 |
Up 1,417 |
Other Division I Neutral Sites |
-- |
*132 |
*140,557 |
1,065 |
Up 25,735 |
Up 21 |
NCAA DIVISION I TOTALS
| *300 |
*3,890 |
*5,382,042 |
*1,384 |
Up 519,246 |
Up 89 |
Home Attendance, NCAA Division II |
248 |
*2,786 |
*1,145,436 |
411 |
Up 81,490 |
Dn 2 |
Home Attendance, NCAA Division III |
*363 |
*3,806 |
*735,787 |
193 |
Up 53,174 |
Dn 4 |
Neutral-Site Attendance, Divisions II & III |
-- |
122 |
47,119 |
386 |
Up 10,007 |
Up 7 |
NCAA Division II Tournament |
-- |
28 |
38,312 |
1,368 |
Up 1,242 |
Up 44 |
NCAA Division III Tournament |
-- |
44 |
38,639 |
878 |
Dn 11,965 |
Up 6 |
NATIONAL TOTALS |
*911 |
*10,676 |
*7,387,335 |
692 |
Up 653,194 |
Up 17 |
*Record. Net attendance includes some double-headers with men if attendance is counted by half time of the women's game.
@The 1996-97 figures used for comparisons reflect 1997-98 changes in divisional lineups to provide parallel comparisons (i.e., 1997-98 lineups vs. same teams in 1996-97, whether members or not).
Note that neutral-site attendance for Divisions II and III does not include any tournaments.
1997-98 Women's Conferences
Division I
Total Teams |
G or Sess. |
1997098 Attend. |
Avg. PG Or Sess. |
Changes in Total |
Changes in Avg. |
Big Ten |
11 |
*146 |
+604,356 |
+4,139 |
Up 59,577 |
Southeastern |
12 |
154 |
*551,425 |
*3,581 |
Up 80,459 |
Big 12 |
12 |
159 |
*545,081 |
*3,428 |
Up 21,484 |
Big East |
13 |
*171 |
*377,279 |
*2,206 |
Up 43,668 |
Pacific Ten |
10 |
130 |
281,473 |
2,165 |
Dn 30,548 |
Missouri Valley |
10 |
*126 |
*253,506 |
*2,012 |
Up 49,001 |
Atlantic Coast |
9 |
*125 |
*248,006 |
1,984 |
Up 8,351 |
Sun Belt |
8 |
105 |
146,983 |
1,400 |
Dn 5,239 |
Western Athletic |
16 |
*219 |
*282,896 |
*1,292 |
Up 58,766 |
Colonial |
9 |
*112 |
*130,459 |
*1,165 |
Up 18,919 |
Southwestern Athletic |
8 |
*78 |
*89,023 |
*1,141 |
Up 38,747 |
America East |
10 |
117 |
129,920 |
1,110 |
Dn 12,203 |
Big Sky |
8 |
99 |
106,583 |
1,077 |
Dn 3,152 |
Atlantic 10 |
12 |
*155 |
*140,573 |
907 |
Up 12,196 |
Ohio Valley |
10 |
110 |
95,085 |
864 |
Dn 901 |
Conference USA |
12 |
153 |
114,784 |
750 |
Dn 3,737 |
Mid-American# |
12 |
*149 |
*110,881 |
744 |
Dn 7,474 |
Big South# |
7 |
86 |
*62,076 |
*722 |
Up 23,608 |
Big West |
11 |
*137 |
96,045 |
701 |
Dn 5,081 |
Southland# |
10 |
*126 |
81,677 |
648 |
Up 4,074 |
Mid-Eastern# |
11 |
*127 |
*82,317 |
648 |
Up 20,501 |
Patriot |
7 |
*76 |
*47,896 |
*630 |
Up 19,572 |
Mid-Continent# |
9 |
102 |
*62,942 |
617 |
Up 10,878 |
West Coast |
8 |
108 |
63,444 |
587 |
Dn 2,564 |
Midwestern Collegiate# |
8 |
95 |
46,059 |
485 |
Up 5,425 |
Metro Atlantic# |
10 |
*115 |
*48,861 |
*425 |
Up 11,603 |
Ivy Group |
8 |
*97 |
*38,941 |
401 |
Up 425 |
Trans America# |
11 |
*130 |
*50,371 |
*387 |
Up 8,449 |
Southern# |
9 |
*105 |
37,628 |
358 |
Dn 289 |
Northeast# |
9 |
104 |
29,487 |
284 |
Dn 1,907 |
*Record high for that conference. +Indicates national record. @All figures used in this report reflect 1997-98 changes in conference lineups, to provide valid comparisons (i.e., the 1997-98 lineup vs. same teams in 1996-97, whether or not members in 1996-97 or whether or not the conference existed in 1996-97); conference marked (#) had different lineups in 1997-98.
Division II
Total Teams |
G or Sess. |
1997-98 Attend. |
Avg. PG Or Sess. |
Changes in Total |
Changes in Avg. |
North Central |
10 |
126 |
157,712 |
1,252 |
Up 14,383 |
Mid-America Intercollegiate |
11 |
147 |
131,274 |
893 |
Up 39,339 |
South Atlantic# |
8 |
87 |
46,210 |
531 |
Up 19,323 |
Rocky Mountain |
14 |
161 |
82,231 |
511 |
Up 121 |
Southern Intercollegiate. |
11 |
107 |
53,666 |
502 |
Dn 11,844 |
Lone Star# |
13 |
141 |
66,997 |
475 |
Dn 5,722 |
Northern Sun |
7 |
71 |
30,768 |
433 |
Up 8,512 |
Central Intercollegiate# |
12 |
109 |
46,450 |
426 |
Up 4,336 |
Great Lakes Valley |
12 |
151 |
63,115 |
418 |
Up 780 |
Pacific West# |
5 |
68 |
27,374 |
403 |
Up 3,520 |
Gulf South# |
15 |
170 |
67,663 |
398 |
Dn 10,138 |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate |
13 |
159 |
63,129 |
397 |
Dn 2,921 |
Northern California Athletic# |
8 |
107 |
35,510 |
332 |
Up 1,310 |
Peach Belt# |
12 |
123 |
35,386 |
288 |
Dn 14,378 |
West Virginia# |
14 |
129 |
35,901 |
278 |
Up 4,015 |
Pennsylvania State Athletic |
14 |
159 |
45,212 |
284 |
Dn 2,818 |
California Collegiate |
6 |
67 |
17,634 |
263 |
Up 509 |
Northeast-10# |
11 |
113 |
29,420 |
260 |
Dn 2,030 |
Division II Independents# |
14 |
143 |
33,902 |
237 |
Dn 5,114 |
@All figures used in this report reflect 1997-98 changes in conference lineups, to provide valid comparisons (i. e., the 1997-98 lineups vs. same teams in 1996-97, whether or not members in 1996-97 or whether or not the conference existed in 1996-97): conferences marked (#) had different lineups in 1997-98.
Division III
Total Teams |
G or Sess. |
1997-98 Attend. |
Avg. PG Or Sess. |
Changes in Total |
Changes in Avg. |
North Central |
10 |
126 |
157,712 |
1,252 |
Up 14,383 |
Mid-America Intercollegiate |
11 |
147 |
131,274 |
893 |
Up 39,339 |
South Atlantic# |
8 |
87 |
46,210 |
531 |
Up 19,323 |
Rocky Mountain |
14 |
161 |
82,231 |
511 |
Up 121 |
Southern Intercollegiate. |
11 |
107 |
53,666 |
502 |
Dn 11,844 |
Lone Star# |
13 |
141 |
66,997 |
475 |
Dn 5,722 |
Northern Sun |
7 |
71 |
30,768 |
433 |
Up 8,512 |
Central Intercollegiate# |
12 |
109 |
46,450 |
426 |
Up 4,336 |
Great Lakes Valley |
12 |
151 |
63,115 |
418 |
Up 780 |
Pacific West# |
5 |
68 |
27,374 |
403 |
Up 3,520 |
Gulf South# |
15 |
170 |
67,663 |
398 |
Dn 10,138 |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate |
13 |
159 |
63,129 |
397 |
Dn 2,921 |
Northern California Athletic# |
8 |
107 |
35,510 |
332 |
Up 1,310 |
Peach Belt# |
12 |
123 |
35,386 |
288 |
Dn 14,378 |
West Virginia# |
14 |
129 |
35,901 |
278 |
Up 4,015 |
Pennsylvania State Athletic |
14 |
159 |
45,212 |
284 |
Dn 2,818 |
California Collegiate |
6 |
67 |
17,634 |
263 |
Up 509 |
Northeast-10# |
11 |
113 |
29,420 |
260 |
Dn 2,030 |
Division II Independents# |
14 |
143 |
33,902 |
237 |
Dn 5,114 |
@All figures used in this report reflect 1997-98 changes in conference lineups, to provide valid comparisons (i. e., the 1997-98 lineups vs. same teams in 1996-97, whether or not members in 1996-97 or whether or not the conference existed in 1996-97): conferences marked (#) had different lineups in 1997-98. **New conference.
1997-98 Attendance Team Leaders
Division I
Change (Min. 4 home games G/S Attend. Avg. Per/G in Avg.
1 |
Tennessee |
16 |
239,511 |
14,969 |
Up 4,469 |
2 |
Connecticut |
19 |
204,132 |
10,744 |
Up 270 |
3 |
Wisconsin |
12 |
125,464 |
10,455 |
Up 1,919 |
4 |
Texas Tech |
14 |
111,249 |
7,946 |
Up 70 |
5 |
Southwest Mo. St. |
17 |
131,766 |
7,751 |
Up 971 |
6 |
Purdue |
13 |
99,338 |
7,641 |
Up 312 |
7 |
Vanderbilt |
12 |
83,724 |
6,977 |
Up 2,122 |
8 |
Texas |
14 |
88,243 |
6,303 |
Dn 1,164 |
9 |
Iowa |
13 |
69,679 |
5,360 |
Dn 35 |
10 |
Stanford |
13 |
68,218 |
5,248 |
Dn 1,002 |
11 |
Penn St. |
15 |
78,002 |
5,200 |
Dn 1,592 |
12 |
Arkansas |
13 |
65,796 |
5,061 |
Up 1,209 |
13 |
New Mexico |
17 |
85,172 |
5,010 |
Up 147 |
14 |
Maine |
16 |
77,238 |
4,827 |
Up 198 |
15 |
Illinois |
15 |
68,883 |
4,592 |
Up 569 |
16 |
Montana |
14 |
61,633 |
4,402 |
Up 67 |
17 |
Oregon |
11 |
45,858 |
4,169 |
Up 730 |
18 |
Old Dominion |
14 |
58,284 |
4,163 |
Up 1,116 |
19 |
Louisiana Tech |
18 |
71,254 |
3,959 |
Dn 124 |
20 |
Iowa St. |
17 |
64,179 |
3,775 |
Up 2,087 |
21 |
Ohio St. |
12 |
44,589 |
3,716 |
Dn 764 |
22 |
Baylor |
15 |
54,849 |
3,657 |
Up 1,796 |
23 |
Washington |
14 |
50,518 |
3,608 |
Dn 381 |
24 |
Nebraska |
16 |
55,233 |
3,452 |
Up 71 |
25 |
Drake |
12 |
39,649 |
3,304 |
Up 185 |
26 |
Virginia |
13 |
42,547 |
3,273 |
Dn 317 |
27 |
Colorado |
13 |
39,571 |
3,044 |
Dn 384 |
28 |
North Caro. St. |
14 |
42,181 |
3,013 |
Up 801 |
29 |
North Caro. |
17 |
46,448 |
2,732 |
Dn 532 |
30 |
Clemson |
13 |
32,552 |
2,504 |
Dn 170 |
31 |
Michigan |
11 |
27,385 |
2,490 |
Dn 106 |
32 |
Arizona |
15 |
36,378 |
2,425 |
Up 745 |
33 |
Western Ky. |
15 |
36,256 |
2,417 |
Dn 411 |
34 |
Michigan St. |
11 |
26,568 |
2,415 |
Dn 780 |
35 |
Duke |
15 |
35,359 |
2,357 |
Up 608 |
36 |
Kansas St. |
13 |
30,578 |
2,352 |
Dn 511 |
37 |
Rutgers |
16 |
37,592 |
2,350 |
Up 779 |
38 |
Tennessee Tech |
14 |
32,582 |
2,327 |
Dn 148 |
39 |
Kansas |
11 |
25,579 |
2,325 |
Dn 293 |
40 |
Colorado St. |
13 |
29,668 |
2,282 |
Up 406 |
41 |
Georgia |
11 |
24,436 |
2,221 |
Dn 1,147 |
42 |
Liberty |
16 |
35,432 |
2,215 |
Up 1,285 |
43 |
Florida |
16 |
34,814 |
2,176 |
Dn 69 |
44 |
Hawaii |
18 |
38,201 |
2,122 |
Up 859 |
45 |
Missouri |
11 |
23,096 |
2,100 |
Up 801 |
46 |
Stephen F. Austin |
11 |
21,495 |
1,954 |
Dn 823 |
47 |
Memphis |
12 |
23,045 |
1,920 |
Up 194 |
48 |
UCLA |
14 |
26,860 |
1,919 |
Dn 361 |
49 |
Notre Dame |
13 |
24,885 |
1,914 |
Up 167 |
50 |
Providence |
12 |
22,761 |
1,897 |
Up 1,131 |
51 |
Arkansas St. |
12 |
22,304 |
1,859 |
Dn 266 |
52 |
Minnesota |
13 |
23,553 |
1,812 |
Up 514 |
53 |
Toledo |
15 |
26,665 |
1,778 |
Dn 1,125 |
54 |
Alabama |
12 |
20,313 |
1,693 |
Dn 39 |
55 |
Grambling |
10 |
16,273 |
1,627 |
Up 76 |
56 |
Auburn |
12 |
19,491 |
1,624 |
Up 37 |
57 |
Youngstown St. |
13 |
20,886 |
1,607 |
Up 199 |
58 |
Oklahoma |
12 |
18,692 |
1,558 |
Dn 451 |
59 |
Tenn.-Martin |
11 |
17,101 |
1,555 |
Up 944 |
60 |
Mississippi Val. |
10 |
15,523 |
1,552 |
Up 1,349 |
61 |
Oklahoma St. |
14 |
21,579 |
1,541 |
Dn 503 |
62 |
Illinois St. |
12 |
18,117 |
1,510 |
Dn 629 |
63 |
Utah |
11 |
16,518 |
1,502 |
Up 85 |
64 |
Dayton |
13 |
19,380 |
1,491 |
Up 141 |
65 |
Vermont |
12 |
17,769 |
1,481 |
Up 127 |
66 |
Massachusetts |
14 |
20,497 |
1,464 |
Up 91 |
67 |
Indiana |
16 |
23,184 |
1,449 |
Up 373 |
68 |
UC Santa Barb. |
12 |
17,227 |
1,436 |
Dn 827 |
69 |
Kentucky |
11 |
15,728 |
1,430 |
Up 748 |
70 |
Georgia Tech |
15 |
21,198 |
1,413 |
Dn 7 |
71 |
Boise St. |
13 |
17,761 |
1,366 |
Dn 94 |
72 |
Texas A&M |
9 |
12,233 |
1,359 |
Dn 193 |
73 |
James Madison |
13 |
17,625 |
1,356 |
Dn 138 |
74 |
Jackson St. |
12 |
15,985 |
1,332 |
Up 832 |
75 |
LSU |
14 |
18,601 |
1,329 |
Dn 755 |
76 |
Louisville |
13 |
16,793 |
1,292 |
Dn 3 |
77 |
Virginia Tech |
13 |
16,581 |
1,275 |
Up 511 |
78 |
South Caro. |
11 |
13,966 |
1,270 |
Up 838 |
79 |
Duquesne |
13 |
15,661 |
1,205 |
Up 136 |
80 |
Texas Christian |
16 |
19,237 |
1,202 |
Up 232 |
81 |
Marquette |
13 |
15,586 |
1,199 |
Up 124 |
82 |
Wichita St. |
13 |
15,405 |
1,185 |
Up 577 |
83 |
Northwestern |
15 |
17,711 |
1,181 |
Dn 292 |
84 |
Holy Cross |
14 |
16,410 |
1,172 |
Up 504 |
85 |
Maryland |
13 |
14,873 |
1,144 |
Dn 404 |
All games (home, road, neutral)
1 |
Tennessee |
386,713 |
2 |
Connecticut |
290,776 |
3 |
Purdue |
208,056 |
4 |
Wisconsin |
189,462 |
5 |
Southwest Mo. St. |
168,295 |
6 |
Louisiana Tech |
163,675 |
7 |
Old Dominion |
158,305 |
8 |
Texas Tech |
157,663 |
9 |
Penn St. |
156,910 |
10 |
Illinois |
156,401 |
Division II
Change |
G/S |
Attend |
Avg. |
Per/G in Avg. |
1 |
North Dak. St. |
16 |
39,007 |
2,438 |
2 |
South Dak. St. |
13 |
29,767 |
2,290 |
3 |
Emporia St. |
17 |
37,984 |
2,234 |
4 |
North Dak. |
5 |
10,260 |
2,052 |
5 |
Augustana (S. D.) |
13 |
22,979 |
1,768 |
6 |
Neb.-Kearney |
11 |
18,922 |
1,720 |
7 |
Southern Ind. |
15 |
21,450 |
1,430 |
8 |
Washburn |
13 |
16,745 |
1,288 |
9 |
St. Cloud St. |
12 |
13,924 |
1,160 |
10 |
Mesa St. |
15 |
16,408 |
1,094 |
11 |
Presbyterian |
10 |
10,889 |
1,089 |
12 |
Pittsburg St. |
15 |
16,306 |
1,087 |
13 |
Morningside |
13 |
14,101 |
1,085 |
14 |
Harding |
13 |
14,099 |
1,085 |
15 |
Arkansas Tech |
11 |
11,785 |
1,071 |
Division III
Change |
G/S |
Attend. |
Avg. |
Per/G |
in Avg. |
1 |
Defiance |
7 |
6,650 |
950 |
Dn 290 |
2 |
New York U. |
11 |
9,798 |
891 |
Dn 96 |
3 |
Wis.-Eau Claire |
12 |
10,385 |
865 |
Up 29 |
4 |
Southern Me. |
9 |
7,126 |
792 |
Up 438 |
5 |
Hendrix |
9 |
6,300 |
700 |
No Change |
6 |
Mississippi Col. |
14 |
9,600 |
686 |
Up 173 |
7 |
Bridgewater (Va.) |
11 |
7,411 |
674 |
Up 314 |
8 |
Capital |
13 |
8,411 |
647 |
Dn 216 |
9 |
Binghamton |
8 |
4,957 |
620 |
Up 210 |
10 |
St. Thomas (Minn.) |
15 |
9,100 |
607 |
Up 161 |
11 |
Wis.-Stout |
10 |
5,510 |
551 |
Up 157 |
12 |
Central (Iowa) |
10 |
5,500 |
550 |
Dn 225 |
13 |
Millikin |
11 |
5,884 |
535 |
Up 22 |
14 |
Beloit |
10 |
5,266 |
527 |
Up 252 |
15 |
Williams |
12 |
6,096 |
508 |
No Change |
[Less than 4 home games: Maryville (Tenn.), 3 games, 2,045 for 682.]
|