Smaller Crowds for UIL Basketball State Championship Games Become New Norm

Attendance at the annual high school basketball state finals in San Antonio has declined significantly since the pre-pandemic era.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 9:53pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Over the last two weeks, 11 boys and girls basketball teams from the Dallas area won state championships at the Alamodome in San Antonio. However, the crowds were about half the size of what they were in 2014, the last year the state title games were played at the Erwin Center in Austin. This appears to be the new norm for UIL high school basketball in the post-pandemic era, with the days of crowds of over 10,000 for boys state finals and 5,000 for girls title games seemingly over.

Why it matters

The decline in attendance at the UIL state basketball championships raises questions about the future of the event and whether changes need to be made, such as moving the games to a more central location like the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex where they could potentially draw larger crowds.

The details

This year, the six sessions for the boys state finals averaged 5,343 fans, while the six girls state championship game sessions averaged just 2,573 fans - the lowest since the pandemic and the first time the average has been below 3,000. In comparison, in 2014 at the Erwin Center in Austin, the boys state finals averaged 10,054 fans and the girls championship games averaged 5,571. Coaches have voiced support for either moving the games out of San Antonio entirely or having a rotating schedule site, preferring a more central location like the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

  • Over the last two weeks, the UIL basketball state championships were held at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
  • In 2014, the last year the state title games were played at the Erwin Center in Austin.
  • Since 2015, the UIL state basketball championships have been held in San Antonio.

The players

Chance Westmoreland

Argyle girls basketball coach who has voiced support for moving the state championships to a more central location like the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Jamey Harrison

Executive director of the UIL who has said the organization is engaged in conversations about the future location of the state basketball tournaments.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Ever since they moved the state tournament to the Alamodome, the crowds have been very small compared to what they used to be in Austin. People don't go as much.”

— Chance Westmoreland, Argyle girls basketball coach (Dallas Morning News)

“The conversations that we are most engaged in right now, and have been for a couple of years, is what do we do moving forward?”

— Jamey Harrison, Executive director of the UIL (Dallas Morning News)

What’s next

The UIL is currently engaged in discussions about the future location of the state basketball tournaments, including the possibility of holding the boys and girls events at separate sites to provide more options beyond the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The takeaway

The decline in attendance at the UIL state basketball championships highlights the need for the UIL to reevaluate the event's format and location, potentially moving it to a more central location like the Dallas-Fort Worth area where it could draw larger crowds, especially for the high-profile matchups involving teams from the Metroplex.