70,000 fans at a basketball game???

The NCAA has announced that is increasing seating capacity at the men’s basketball Final Four to 70,000.

 You read that right — that’s bigger than most football stadiums (or any other type of stadium for that matter).

This will take effect starting at the 2009 Final Four at Ford Field in Detroit (where the Lions play). How good can the view possibly be from the nose-bleed seats? Remember, a basketball court is significantly smaller than a football field.

We can all guess why the NCAA is doing this:

Officials estimate the configuration could generate about $4 million per year in additional revenues while creating a more student-centered event and increasing membership inclusion.

Meaning the NCAA would put 200,000 fans at a basketball game if it could.