KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The 2023 Big 12 Phillips 66 Men’s Basketball Championship in Kansas City, Missouri, earned the highest revenue in the history of the conference, the Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday.
“This year’s Basketball Championships saw significant growth over previous years, and I am thrilled with the results,” Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a written statement. “As we continue to reimagine our Conference Championships, our number one priority will always be to create value and drive revenue for our member institutions.”
The championship also brought revenue to Kansas City, with an estimated 90,110 attending the men's championship and 25,385 attending the women's
The Big 12 Men's and Women's championships also had an estimated impact of $21 million on Kansas City through five days, according to the Kansas City Sports Commission.
The boost in revenue for the conference comes alongside the new premium court-side seating offered at the championship, which sold out before public sale opened. The new premium seating contributed to the 37% increase in year-after-year revenue for the men's championship, and a 20% increase for the women's.
With the introduction of the seating, all media was moved to an upper press-box for coverage of the championship, a decision that didn't come without some push-back.
The Associated Press Sports Editors, U.S. Basketball Writers Association and Association for Women in Sports Media released a statement speaking out against this shift in media-seating practices.
Courtside seating for the 2024 Big 12 Basketball Championship is currently on a waitlist, the conference said.
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