College basketball fans from across the nation will converge on Pittsburgh this week donning their school colors, filling PPG Paints Arena — and spending lots of cash while they’re here — to watch rounds one and two of the NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament.
The total of six games will bring in over 18,000 fans to the Golden Triangle, said Richard Hooper, vice president of marketing and communications for the Downtown Pittsburgh Partnership, in an email to the Post-Gazette. “We’re excited for those attending to experience all that Downtown has to offer — there’s really something for everyone,” he said.
The games, which will be played on March 21 and 23, are hosted by Duquesne University athletics.
Teams scheduled to compete at PPG Arena come from various states: Creighton University, from Omaha, Neb, will take on Akron; South Carolina plays Oregon; Kentucky will square off with Oakland University from Michigan; and Texas Tech faces North Carolina State.
Tourism groups and local businesses expect the March Madness festivities to produce a large amount of spending from visitors.
Grant Street Tavern, a bar and grill Downtown, anticipates plenty of customers on Thursday, when four games will be played.
“We get a big crowd especially when a tournament is being held at PPG because a lot of people stay here in the city of Pittsburgh,” said Cheryl White, owner of the bar. “We'll stay open later that night, probably until 9:30 p.m.”
Ms. White said events like the tournament are a much-needed boost to businesses like hers, many of which were “done in” by the pandemic. Event days at the arena are Grant Street Tavern’s busiest — “We make the same amount in a day that we make on a regular week,” Ms. White said.
“I love when they host big events,” she continued. “I mean, when Taylor Swift was here it was madness. It made the city of Pittsburgh a lot of money. So these kind of events actually help.”
In 2022, Duquesne also hosted the opening two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the Division III women’s basketball championships. The events brought in a total of $10.4 million in direct visitor spending, said Jennifer Hawkins, executive director of SPORTSPittsburgh.
Ms. Hawkins estimates that this week’s games will generate the same amount, bringing in significant revenue for local businesses.
“Where you might see some fluctuation is with which teams are competing,” she said. “Depending on where they're located, their travel base and where their fans are coming from could affect if there's more visitors in town. So we really won't be able to say the impact for 2024 until after the event this year, but we’re level-setting at what happened in 2022.”
In the Strip District, sportswear store Yinzers in the Burgh is ready for the March Madness to begin. The shop plans to extend its hours once the games start to give visitors ample time to get Pittsburgh-themed gear, said Tim Piett, general manager of the store.
“We know games like this bring in a tremendous amount of people who live outside the city,” he said. “We're always prepared for pretty much anything that happens in the city since 70% of our clientele are tourists.
“The more events the city has, the better it is for the businesses in Pittsburgh.”
Penn Brewery in Troy Hill has prepared a full tank of its spring beer, called the Mäzen, for fans who stop in between games.
“We're expecting a lot of guests to come in and we’ll have a special so we're gonna be pushing that,” said Amy Huseman, office manager at Penn Brewery. “We also have plenty of free parking. That's hard to find in the city if you're driving.”
Another driver of revenue is through sports wagering. Last year, 68 million Americans wagered $15.5 billion on the men’s basketball tournament, according to the American Gaming Association. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported that the total amount wagered on sports betting in March 2023 was more than $723 million. That same month, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh saw more than $32 million wagered and Live! Casino Pittsburgh saw more than $1 million wagered, according to a PGCB news release.
SPORTSPittsburgh’s Ms. Hawkins said that Duquesne hosting this year’s first- and second-round games speaks to how Pittsburgh is the “ultimate sports destination.”
“For these events to be a success, namely the NCAA championships and the men's basketball championship, it takes a community,” she said. “This community is led by the efforts of Duquesne University athletics. We're proud to bring these events to town.”
Ciara McEneany: cmceneany@post-gazette.com
First Published: March 19, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: March 20, 2024, 2:31 p.m.
