A publication of the USDA AMS Livestock and Poultry Program, Agricultural Analytics Division

March 21, 2019

Wings Part 2 – Marketing for the Big Dance 

A few weeks ago, we marked the high water point for annual chicken wing demand which occurs during the Super Bowl. This year, fans 

consumed an estimated 1.4 billion chicken wing portions for the big game, about 13.5 wing portions for each television and digital viewer. 

A chicken wing portion is from the upper two thirds of the wing corresponding to your forearm (flat) and upper arm (drumette). We get 

two portions from every wing, two wings per chicken, for a total of four portions per bird. The remaining third, the tip (think hand), is 

typically exported as a popular item in Asian markets (we eat a few in the States as well, just not that many). 

Chicken wings as bar food got their start in 1964 in Buffalo, NY. 

Over time, they became a popular fan food for the big game, 

really taking off after the hometown Bills played in four 

championships in the early 1990’s and fans took a little taste of 

Buffalo home with them. Back in the day, wing demand would 

peak for the Super Bowl and then would drop off. All that began 

to change in 1985. That year, the NCAA Men’s Division 1 

Basketball tournament expanded to 64-teams and the NCAA’s 

control of television rights was limited in a court decision, paving 

the way for a rapid expansion of televised college games, 

supported by the emerging cable television industry. To feed this 

increased game viewership, entrepreneurs moved to translate 

Super Bowl wing demand to the college basketball tournament 

and March Madness wing demand was born. 

Unlike the Super Bowl where demand is focused on a one-day event, the college basketball tournament is spread out over a three week 

period which creates unique challenges and marketing opportunities for chicken wings. Restauranteurs were quick to figure out that the 

extended tournament schedule and the focus on collegiate ball (with its fervent fan base) was the perfect match and many wing-centric

operations sprang up to capitalize. By installing multiple viewing screens to capture several games at once and by creating a nostalgic 

“college” atmosphere (think St. Elmo’s Fire), restaurants created a captive audience that they then plied with platters of chicken wings. 

Fans responded favorably with a good percentage returning throughout the tournament. Demand for wings got an additional boost 

when in 2011, all tournament games were televised nationally for the first time. To most wing-focused restaurants, the tournament period 

marks the high point of annual wing consumption with some reporting increased wing orders of 20-25%. 

Wing consumption during the tournament is dependent on viewership which typically rises as play advances, culminating with the 

championship game, the tournament equivalent to the Super Bowl. However, viewership can vary widely depending on how the games 

are broadcast (cable or network) and on how well fan favorites fare (college basketball fans are as fickle as they are fervent). Availability 

of wings and price also influence overall consumption, but chicken wings remain a popular and growing favorite and fans are expected 

to consume an estimated 2.3 billion wing portions during the 2019 NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball tournament, about 14 wing portions 

per tournament viewer. 

 

In 2018, wholesale prices for whole chicken wings in the Northeast declined 14% between the Super Bowl and the start of round 1 of the 

men’s basketball tournament despite wing 

prices 15% below the level at the start of the 

2017 tournament. This was due, in some party, 

to a 6% decline in consumption during the 2018 

tournament run reflected in a 6% decline in 

movement of wing stocks out of cold storage in 

March 2018 compared to 

March 2017. 

Data Sources: USDA AMS 

Agricultural Analytics; 

USDA NASS; Nielsen; 

NCAA

M arket Insights

Note: 2019 is estimated

6.3 8.2 7.3 12.2 14.6 13.8 14.2

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Wing Portions per Tournament 

Viewer (3-week period)

130

140

150

160

170

180

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Wkly Northeast Chicken 

Wing Prices 2018 Super Bowl

March Madness Tailgating