70,000 Fans at a Basketball Game?

The one thing that’s cool about watching a basketball game in person is that it’s generally a pretty intimate environment. Whereas 90,000 people get herded together in a college football stadium, there’s usually only around 15,000 packing a house for a college basketball game. Until now. Obscure Sports Quarterly points out that they will be expanding the crowds at the NCAA Final Four.

The NCAA Executive Committee has approved a new seating configuration that will increase capacity to about 70,000 at the Men’s Final Four beginning in 2009, creating sections that will put thousands of students courtside for the national championship.
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Ford Field, Lucas Oil Stadium and Reliant Stadium host regionals in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Officials estimate the configuration could generate about $4 million per year in additional revenues while creating a more student-centered event and increasing membership inclusion.

I guess anything to generate a few extra bucks, right? And I’ll say this much — it’s pretty hard to make a 7 foot tall man look like he’s a piece of roadkill, but sticking someone at the top of Ford Field could probably do it. 70,000 fans at a basketball game. You have to be joking me.