Opinion on compensating March Madness athletes 2022

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, also known as March Madness, is one of the most popular college sport events in the United States. College athletes are currently not paid for their participation in NCAA events, a topic which has been subject to heated discussions in recent years. During a March 2022 survey in the United States, almost 70 percent of avid sports fans believed that student athletes should be financially compensated for participating in March Madness.

Public opinion on whether March Madness athletes should be paid in the United States as of March 2022

Characteristic	Yes	No	Don't know/no opnion
General population	46%	27%	27%
Sports fan	55%	30%	15%
Non fan	36%	24%	40%
Avid fan	69%	20%	11%
Casual fan	49%	34%	17%

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Release date

March 2022

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

March 11 to 14, 2022

Number of respondents

1,528 respondents

Age group

18 years and older

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

This question was phrased by the source as follows: "Do you think student athletes should be financially compensated, in addition to a scholarship and cost of attendance stipend, for participating in March Madness?"

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