Knoxville, Tennessee – The University of Tennessee had the highest overall attendance of any institution in the US in 2023-24 across football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball.
A total of 1,161,218 spectators attended the Volunteers’ 38 home games in those three sports. That figure pushed Tennessee almost 96,000 points ahead of second-place LSU, which had 44 home events. The only other school to reach one million was South Carolina, which had 41 home events.
“The unwavering support of our fans is what makes Knoxville ‘America’s College Sports City’ and gives us the best fan base in all of sports,” stated Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White. “We appreciate our fans’ passion and dedication, which drives our student-athletes to reach their goals and transforms every home game
“A truly memorable experience.”
Tennessee has the fewest home events across all three sports among the top 35 schools in the combined attendance national rankings. As a result, Tennessee led the nation in average attendance in those three sports by a significant margin, with 30,558. That result put the Volunteers nearly 3,500 points clear of second-place Michigan and more than 5,000 ahead of third-place South Carolina.
Tennessee was the only school to finish in the top ten in overall attendance for football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball, with no other institution placing in the top 15 in all three. It was also the only one in the top ten for average attendance in all three, with only Nebraska finishing in the top fifteen.
Tennessee’s seven home football games drew 713,405 people, for an average of 101,915 per game. On a nationwide scale, such totals were third and fourth, respectively. Furthermore, Neyland Stadium hosted seven of the SEC’s top twelve single-game home attendances. Tennessee, which sold out all of its home games, was one of 24 schools that reached capacity in 2023.
The Volunteers attracted 314,617 supporters for their 16
The average attendance at home men’s basketball games is 19,664. Tennessee finished fourth in the nation in each category. In addition, Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena featured the SEC’s nine greatest single-game attendances this year, with each ranking in the top 24 nationally. Furthermore, eight of the top 17 such single-game audiences, including four of the top six, were at Tennessee home games, the most of any school in the country. The Volunteers set a venue single-season record with eight sellouts, four of which exceeded the advertised capacity.
Tennessee’s women’s basketball team drew 133,196 fans across 15 home games, with an average attendance of 8,880. The Lady Volunteers finished ninth and seventh in those divisions. They finished third in the SEC in each category, trailing only the eventual national champion (South Carolina) and the reigning national champion (LSU).
The Volunteers surpassed one million in men’s basketball and football alone, with 1,028,022 fans crossing the turnstiles in those 23 games. No other school in America achieved seven digits in just two sports. Tennessee was fifth in overall football and men’s basketball attendance, with only Nebraska and Iowa State ranking in the top fifteen. It also finished in the top five for average attendance in both sports, with only Nebraska ranking in the top 15 in each.
On basketball-only
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