Women’s basketball draws half the attendance of men’s despite better team record

Princeton women’s basketball saw half the attendance numbers of the men’s team at both Jadwin Gym and away venues this season — despite a better Ivy League record and a March Madness appearance in the First Four.

Throughout the men’s 30 games and women’s 28, fan attendance varied from venue to venue. On average, men’s basketball attracted more than double the attendance both at Jadwin Gym and away. At Jadwin, an average of 2,503 attendants cheered on the men’s team, while an average audience of 1,311 cheered on the women. This filled up, on average, 36.1 percent and 18.1 percent of the gymnasium’s 6,854 person capacity, respectively.

Aside from the annual Jersey Jam—a yearly contest between Rutgers University men’s basketball and Princeton’s men’s team contested at a neutral venue—the highest attended matchups on either side saw approximately 4,050 fans attend.

On average, Princeton men’s basketball brought more attendees to Jadwin than away venues. When the women's team played, Jadwin was the third-highest-attended venue on average, while women's away games at Columbia and Harvard had more attendees.

Games on Fridays and Saturdays for the men’s team had the most attendance, while women’s games with the highest attendance were non-conference games on Mondays.

The highest attendance for both teams occurred in the afternoon between 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., with the men’s team drawing an average of 2,792 fans and the women’s team attracting 1,574. The women’s team’s postseason appearance may also drive higher attendance in the coming seasons, while the men’s team can continue capitalizing on their strong home support at Jadwin Gym.

Men’s basketball finished third in the Ivy League after falling to Yale in the Ivy Madness tournament. Women’s basketball finished second in the Ivy League after a narrow three-point loss to Harvard in Ivy Madness. They lost to Iowa State in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night.

Over the past 15 years, Princeton men’s basketball has appeared in three NCAA tournaments, including their historic run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2023. They were also two-time Ivy League postseason champions. In the same timeframe, Princeton women’s basketball has appeared in seven NCAA tournaments, including their sixth consecutive appearance in 2025, and won the Ivy League five times.

While the attendance disparity is likely not unique to Princeton, women’s college basketball has been growing in prominence on the national stage. The 2024 NCAA tournament was the first time that the women’s title game more viewers than the men’s — an average of 18.7 million, compared to 14.82 million.

Elaine Gao is a contributing Data and Research writer for the ‘Prince.’