By the time the Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals are completed, arenas whose food operations are run by Levy will have hosted at least 1.2 million fans at a minimum of 64 (and as many as 65) playoff games, accounting for nearly 40% of all 2026 postseason attendance, according to Sports Business Journal research.
The Chicago-based company still has at least two more games with the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena (whose retail operations are run by Levy’s Rank + Rally division).
Similarly, Aramark’s arena teams will have welcomed 673,561 fans to at least 35 (and as many as 37) playoff dates. The Philadelphia-based company still has the Spurs in the NBA Finals.
For context, NBA and NHL teams each play 41 home games each regular season.
The postseason bonus extends more than a decade of such success for Levy. Over the past 13 seasons, the company’s team partners have accounted for more than half of all playoff participants in the NBA and NHL. Additionally, at least one Levy-operated arena in 13 of the past 15 seasons has hosted a Stanley Cup Final game.
Overall, heading into tonight’s start of the NBA Finals, the league’s 80 playoff games had drawn 1.53 million fans. The 77 Stanley Cup playoff games, including last night’s Game 1 of the Final, have drawn 1.41 million. The playoffs can add approximately 10% to a league’s final total full-season attendance.
During the regular season the NBA drew 22.1 million and the NHL drew a league record 23.16 million.
On the naming-rights front, the Spurs’ Frost Bank Center will generate the most on-site exposure, boosting a $9M-per-year deal that is in its third season.
At Madison Square Garden, which has no corporate name, the N.Y. Knicks will draw at least 217,932 fans, which, depending on how long the NBA Finals last, would rank No. 1 or No. 2 in total attendance among playoff arenas.