---
title: The economics of March Madness
description: For every win in the tournament until the Final Four, a team earns its conference ~$2m.
---

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# [The economics of March Madness](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/03172022-march-madness)

 Written by [Mark Dent](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/mark-dent) | Apr 11, 2023 5:39:31 AM

March Madness begins today. While the nation collectively cheers for an upset of the Duke men’s basketball team in the 1st round, here are 5 data points that explain the economics of the NCAA Tournament:

1. **$613m: **Total NCAA [payouts](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/ncaa-to-pay-entire-613-million-revenue-distribution-to-members-if-ncaa-tournament-completed-in-entirety/) to the conferences of men’s tournament participants in 2021, out of ~$800m in NCAA revenue from hosting the tournament.
2. **$2m:** The approximate[ payout ](https://businessofcollegesports.com/basketball/2021-march-madness-payouts-from-mens-basketball-tournament-impacted-by-2020/)for a men’s team that made the tournament in 2021, a payout made to each team’s conference in ~$337k increments [over 6 years](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/sports/ncaa-money/#:~:text=A%20run%20all%20the%20way,units%20after%20the%20national%20semifinals.). For every win in the tournament until the Final Four, a team earns its conference another ~$2m. A Final Four team makes ~$10m, paid over 6 years.
3. **$35m:** The [gap in spending](https://kaplanhecker.app.box.com/s/6fpd51gxk9ki78f8vbhqcqh0b0o95oxq) on the NCAA Tournament between the men’s and women’s tournaments in 2019. In a [viral video](https://twitter.com/sedonaprince_/status/1372736231562342402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1372736231562342402%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2022%2F03%2F15%2Fsports%2Fncaabasketball%2Fwomens-march-madness-sedona-prince.html), the University of Oregon’s Sedona Prince shamed the NCAA into providing more resources for women’s players, though the NCAA [declined](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/15/sports/ncaabasketball/womens-march-madness-sedona-prince.html) to specify how much they have closed the financial gap this year.
4. **$3B:** The[ expected sum](https://www.playusa.com/3-billion-in-wagering-can-be-hit-between-playusa-and-2022-ncaa/) of legal bets on this year’s men’s tournament, per gambling news source *PlayUSA*.
5. **Priceless?** What is it worth to have an Australian movie star on your side? The University of Iowa is about to find out because, for some random connection to the school’s coach, Hugh Jackman made [a video](https://twitter.com/JackmansLanding/status/1503211014275231748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) telling the Iowa basketball team to “crush it.”

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