2023 TOP 30 NCAA Mens Lacrosse Attendance Rankings

Here are the top 30 2023 #ncaamlax lacrosse total attendance rankings. Congratulations to #HHH Syracuse, #uvalax Virginia, and #terpslax Maryland for separating themselves at the top.

Winning, tradition, quality of opponents, rivalries, marketing, weather, promotion, scheduling, facilities, and game day atmosphere all impact #ncaalacrosse attendance rankings.

Athletic department adminsitrators factor in attendance.

Rivalries and scheduling matter. Big games at the right time drive attendance. The top attended lacrosse game in 2023 was Army/Navy in Annapolis. Not all big games can be found in conference. Four of the top ten attended games were out of conference match ups. (Maryland vs. Notre Dame, Virginia vs. Maryland, Syracuse vs, Hopkins, and Loyola vs.Hopkins.) Local match ups and rivalries matter for programs out of the top tier as well. It was no accident that the UMBC Towson Baltimore beltway game game had the biggest attendance on the schedule. There are potential rivalries in Philadelphia and Providence. Lacrosse schedules should be closely curated to best accomadate players schedules and fan interest.

There are crowd pleasing matchups that did not happen in 2023. Here are some.

• Syracuse vs Cornell

• Maryland vs Navy

• Maryland vs Georgetown

• Navy vs Air Force and Army vs Air Force

Teams in the same region should coordinate staggered start times. For example, on Saturday February 11 at 1pm two two miles apart, Hopkins hosted Georgetown and Loyola was home against Maryland. Double booking time slot leads to cannabilizing each other's attendance. Teams in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Providence, Chapel Hill/Durham and upstate New York could try double headers, play day and night, or Saturday and Sunday.

Cheerleaders, bands, and extra game day atmosphere elements can be introduced at lacrosse games as they are regularly featured at similarly attended mid-major basketball games. Hopkins has the “#WeWantMore” band and Loyola has a dance team that contribute to their game day atmosphere.

The location of conference tournaments impact attendance and the really hurt Georgetown (Big East) in 2023.

Weather is the hardest to control, but schedule makers can try and not overload February and early March home games in the coldest climates. Ohio State’s last home game was on April 7. Brrrrr!To Ohio State’s credit, they played Virginia in Naples, Florida on February 25 in front of 4116 fans. In the big picture, extending the playoffs a bit past Memorial Day might also create less need to pack in winter games and free up more time in the beginning of the semester for student athletes.

Moving up and or into a top 30 attendance ranking is attainable for most programs that work harder and smarter to increase their attendance. Averaging 800 fans and a total of 6000 fans a season is roughly the bar for reaching a top 30 ranking. Boston University, Stony Brook, and Drexel are close. Averaging 2100 fans a game and 17000 total season home attendance would warrant a top 5 2023 ranking. Are those unreasonable attendance numbers for Army and Navy, and all of the ACC and B1G programs?

Which programs do you think is overperforming and who is underperforming with home attendance? Who is putting effort into their scheduling, game atmosphere and fan cultivation? What matchups should happen, but did not in 2023? We want to hear your thoughts.