The 5 Most Attended Sporting Events Ever in the US

By Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer Updated: 13 March 2023

Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer

Amelia Walker is a Senior Content Writer at Betting.US. She has a law degree and deep knowledge of the gambling laws in the United States. Her mission is to keep players informed about responsible gambling, while her passion for sports helps her create useful guides. Amelia has over a decade of experience in betting, which has positioned her as a trusted voice among our readers.

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Most Attended Sporting Events Ever

In the last two or three decades, the US has seen rapid growth in spectators attending sporting events. New stadium technology, state-of-the-art streaming services and a growing fan base has led to almost all sports becoming more popular in the States – and today, we’re going to be looking at the most attended sporting events in the USA.

• Most Attended Sporting Events
• Largest Events In The US By Attendance
• The Kentucky Derby
• The Infamous Battle at Bristol
• The First Baseball Entry
• The Red Sox Take on The LA Dodgers
• The NBA’s All-Star Game
• Frequently Asked Questions

Most Attended Sporting Events

When looking at the most attended sporting events, we’re really talking about events that have more than 100,000 spectators. For the record, in today’s post, we’re going to be covering the biggest sporting events in the US – not global events. You may be surprised there’s no Super Bowls here – and that surprised us, as much as it probably does you!

All the sports we’ll cover in today’s post are offered at sportsbooks. Whether you’re looking for the best NHL betting site or the best soccer betting site, our site has lots of sportsbook recommendations.

The Largest Events in the US By Attendance

Unlike viewership figures, the largest events in the US by attendance are easier to measure. It’s straightforward to calculate the number of tickets each event sells – although things can get a bit murky when you start taking into account people that come to watch the games on big screens, and such. Let’s dive right in and look at some sports attendance records in the US!

Kentucky Derby – May 2012

The Kentucky Derby is an American horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s always held on the first Saturday in May. Many have given the event a nickname – The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports – while others call it The Run for the Roses. This is due to the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses and is the first leg of the American Triple Crown.

The Kentucky Derby, held in May 2012, has the current US record for being one of the most attended sports in the US. More than 165,000 people attended the record-breaking event, and no other horse racing event in the world has even come close to those attendance levels.

The Kentucky Derby has run annually since 1875, and despite its popularity, it’s actually one of the shortest horse races in the world. On average, it takes around two minutes for the race to conclude – and the distance covered is just 1.25 miles. Prior to 1896, the distance was 1.5 miles. The Derby was first televised in 1952, and, back then, it also set records for being one of the most watched sporting events in the US.

The Battle at Bristol

Surprisingly, one of the most attended sporting events in US history isn’t an NFL game, but a college football game, instead. The Battle at Bristol, as it was coined, was a major college football game in 2016 between the Virginia Tech Hokies, and the Tennessee Volunteers. It holds the current NCAA record for the largest single-game attendance, and a staggering 156,990 people came to watch the action for themselves!

The match was played at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, and while the Eagles had played the Redskins there before, only 18,000 people attended. The apparent reason for Virginia and Tennessee being chosen to play there was because the speedway is located roughly the same distance between the two teams’ home fields.

The game was a great watch – and some big names made surprise appearances. For example, Peyton Manning attended the game, which was a pretty big deal back then. Even some of the players were surprised he’d come to watch!

Thankfully for the 156,990 spectators, the match was excellent to watch – and Tennessee ended up winning 45-24. What makes the match even more fascinating, is that Tennessee managed to come back from a 14-0 deficit, so there was some incredible viewing for the fans.

Army vs Notre Dame

One of the oldest matches on this list is the infamous Army-Notre Dame football game. The two teams have a rivalry that’s almost never been seen before – and every year the two teams meet. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the United States Military – and winning is a matter of pride for both teams.

Back in those days, both teams were among the best football squads in the United States – and the rivalry is believed to date back as far as 1913. It was in 1928, however, that something amazing happened; during their annual match at the Yankees Stadium, a staggering 120,000 fans turned up to watch the game – and Notre Dame ended up winning, to the elation of the supporting fans.

While the match has been played annually ever since, COVID-19 prevented the two teams from playing for a couple of years. But 2022 saw the game return, with the Fighting Irish running out easy 44-6 winners. Their next encounter is scheduled for November 2024.

Boston Red Sox vs LA Dodgers

In 2008, the Los Angeles Dodgers took on the Boston Red Sox at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, in a game to benefit the ThinkCure charity. It was part of the Dodgers’ celebrations of being in Los Angeles for 50 years. In total, 115,301 fans turned up to watch the game – a world record for a baseball game.

Back then, online betting wasn’t anywhere near as popular as it is today. Now, there are plenty of baseball betting sites and if you’re looking for the safest, most reliable online bookmakers, make sure to browse around our site and check our top recommendations.

NBA All-Star Game

In 2010, the NBA’s All-Star game decided to host their match at the Arlington stadium. The City of Arlington had just finished spending $1.3 billion on developing the stadium, and it was constructed to be used by the Dallas Cowboys. However, the stadium has ended up playing host to several different sporting events, including boxing matches, football – and even WrestleMania!

However, it was the NBA All-Star Game in 2010 that attracted the highest number of spectators. 108,713 attended to show their support for their teams! The match was played between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics, and the Knicks ended up scooping a 120-117 overtime victory, much to the delight of fans.

Wondering how the All-Star Game, along with the other games on this list, compares to the highest sporting attendances worldwide? Below, you can see the highest attendances outside the US.