Sponsored by

Friends,

With conference play ending, the madness is about the begin. This weekend is Selection Sunday so we felt it was fitting to start the biz of March Madness now. Let’s get it!

A Quick Look Back

1/ The 2023-24 women's college basketball regular season was one for the record books, as viewership saw a 37 percent year-over-year increase. 

2/ 2023 Viewership Women had record high, men had record low. According to ESPN, the game averaged 9.92 million viewers (peaking at 12.6 million)

3/ The men’s championship game (UConn over San Diego State) on CBS averaged a record low 14.69 million viewers.

Visual-based newsletter on business and tech

We explain the latest business, finance, and tech news with visuals and data. 📊

All in one free newsletter that takes < 5 minutes to read. 🗞

Save time and become more informed today.👇

A Few Fun Facts:

1/ The first NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was played in 1939. 

2/ The original bracket had eight teams (Sup CFB…)

3/ Oregon is the first NCAA tournament champion, beating Ohio State for the title.

4/ The NCAA tournament field grew to 16 teams in 1951, doubled to 32 in 1975 and expanded to its current size of 64 teams in 1985.

Bet On March

If you’re planning on filling out a bracket or throwing a little cash on the madness. Here’s a few quick tips to keep in mind:

• On average there are 13 upsets per year in March (since 1985). The most upsets can in 2019 when 19 underdogs won. 

• The fewest number of number of upsets took place in 2007 when only 4 teams were upset. 

• The first round historically has the most upsets with an average of 6

Men & Women Of Madness

1/ The NCAA's TV contract for the men's tournament is worth a staggering $771 million per year, while the contract for the women's tournament is worth only $35 million per year. That means the NCAA generates more than 20 times as much revenue from the men's tournament as it does from the women's tournament.

2/ This disparity is reflected in the payouts to individual schools as well. According to Forbes, the 68 teams that make it into the men's tournament earn a share of a $220 million payout from the NCAA, while the 64 teams that make it into the women's tournament earn a share of only $15 million.