Every March, the country erupts into a frenzy to watch the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Students, fans and alumni alike pause from real life to make brackets, tune into games and watch their favorite teams tackle the ups and downs of the competition.
But the tournament’s impact extends far beyond highlights and upsets. While people are on the edge of their seats, drawn to teams and the players, branding and sports public relations play largely influential roles in why we feel so drawn to the madness of March.
The “madness”
The name March Madness itself is a brand, whether noticed or not. As a word, madness encapsulates the unpredictability of the tournament, as well as the chaos and excitement that surrounds each game. It is memorable and therefore drives engagement before the tournament even begins, as it communicates the anticipation and excitement that fans experience every year when March rolls around. There are expectations of another “mad” month and makes viewers feel like they are part of the madness rather than only the players, as the name reinforces the tournament’s identity as an experience rather than simply a game broadcasted on TV.
March Madness Live and brackets
NCAA March Madness Live is a free, interactive app to stream all tournament games, allowing users to create their own bracket and join groups, receive game-time updates and more. It centralizes the viewing experience, allowing the tournament to be accessible anywhere and maintains connection between fans and the game. This pushes engagement that involves interactivity and allows for a continuous following of the tournament, reflecting a shift over the past years towards digital sports consumption.
The bracket itself is a centerpiece of March Madness. It maps out all tournament matchups and provides a visual and interactive format that allows audiences to keep track of progress and game outcomes throughout the entire tournament. According to a PR Newswire survey, 84% of Americans do not follow college basketball, but NCAA tournament bracket pools are “the country’s largest participatory sports event, ahead of fantasy football and Super Bowl squares.”
Bracket creation is a significant part of fan engagement even before games begin, with work, school and personal competitions and its simplicity making the entire environment of March Madness more accessible to “casual” viewers who do not typically keep up with basketball.
Social media and branding
Social media platforms have grown to be significant drivers of viewer engagement in March Madness. TikTok, X and Instagram are large producers of engagement, with March Madness content on social media projected to generate 2.5 billion video views last year, according to a March Madness statistic. Branded content and highlight reels contribute to this data, as well as advertising that is integrated into posts with products or sponsors. Teams and players secure increased visibility through shared content and social media acts as an extra layer of game coverage that reaches viewers outside of game broadcasting.
Nike is a popular brand that is regularly affiliated with March Madness, with this year as no exception — both Nike and its affiliated Jordan Brand were worn by 44 teams, an increase from 41 last year and signifying the largest number for Nike since its sponsoring of 48 teams in 2021.
Sponsorship connections allow sponsors to extend their reach to engage newer audiences through social media, further contributing to their customer base and investment from heightened exposure.
Media revenue and deals
Revenue sharing agreements from March Madness significantly impact NCAA conferences and their member schools and much of the money received by teams gets invested into schools’ athletic programs, going towards areas like arenas or facilities, scholarships, athletic travel expenses and salaries. For example, beginning in 2025, the men’s basketball teams now receive 24% from a media rights deal, which accumulates to approximately almost $9 billion over 8 years, according to a Mizzou sports management expert, Michelle Brimecombe.
Deal structures illustrate how revenue generated by the tournament gets distributed across the entirety of the NCAA system, instead of only being concentrated in a single area. Because of this, performance and participation in March Madness can have beneficial financial ramifications for conferences and schools beyond the tournament itself.
Sports betting
An increasingly popular activity among sports fans, betting has become a key factor driving online engagement throughout the tournament. According to a March Madness statistic, more than 28 million Americans were anticipated to bet on the 2025 March Madness tournament and this trend is expected to continue in this year’s tournament, with betting up “33% this year among Americans 21+ who live in a state where sports betting is legal,” as stated in new CivicScience data. Sports betting growth creates a space for targeted marketing, such as betting apps and other similar platforms and can fuel online discourse that brands are able to strategically engage with. In response, brands and companies in related industries have the potential to explore specific marketing strategies or partnerships.
While games remain at the forefront of March Madness, the event extends well beyond the court and involves a highly coordinated intersection of sport, media and marketing to drive tournament popularity. The shift to digital engagement reflects how March Madness has evolved into a brand, where interaction and continuous connectivity are vital to the tournament’s overall experience.
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