NCAA Nixes Live March Madness Tournament Attendees

• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, Yesterday

The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) this afternoon announced it will have no live fans attending its March Madness college basketball tournament games due to concerns about the Coronavirus.

The association said only essential tournament staff and family members will be allowed to attend the games for both the Division 1 men's and women's tournaments.

The move immediately sparked concerns on the impact on TV audience ratings for one of the most premium and coveted live advertising sporting events of the year, but according to a survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by Morning Consult, more Americans said they were more likely to watch the tournament than those that said they were less likely to watch it because of the move.

That was especially true of the responses of avid sports fans, college basketball fans and avid college basketball fans.

CBS and Turner Sports are the network TV outlets scheduled to air the games