Since the beginning of the 2024 March Madness tournament for women’s collegiate basketball on March 17, there has been unprecedented interest in the sport. South Carolina defeated Iowa and their superstar Caitlin Clark in the championship game, with viewership surpassing 17 million people. This massive increase in attention comes at a time when the sports industry is finally expanding to include females after being overwhelmingly focused on male leagues for hundreds of years.
Anyone who paid attention to this season of women’s basketball knows the name Caitlin Clark. The Iowa senior has dominated the league and brought tremendous viewership to the game because of her incredible talent and the media’s fixation on a rivalry between her and LSU’s Angel Reese. Clark has contributed to packing arenas with fans and broke the all-time scoring record in women’s collegiate basketball. She is one of many athletes who have changed the future of women’s basketball by drawing the attention of so many people who had never expressed interest in the sport before.
“I think it’s so amazing to see how much the game of women’s basketball has evolved,” senior Lambert basketball player Anna Rodriguez said. “Seeing people all over the world become so invested in a women-dominated game is so inspiring to see.”
Rodriguez noted that the sport was on an inclining trajectory in 2019 due to Oregon and future first overall pick in the WNBA draft Sabrina Ionescu’s success but that the COVID-19 pandemic halted that momentum.
“Unfortunately, the [2019] tournament was canceled due to the pandemic,” Rodriguez explained. “But that all changed when Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and so many others changed the game for the better.”
All three players Rodriguez referenced competed in the 2024 NCAAW Elite Eight, which, according to ESPN, averaged 6.2 million viewers. Paige Bueckers and UConn defeated USC, while LSU lost to Iowa in a premiere display of the rivalry between Reese and Clark. The growth did not end there; the three Final Four games averaged 13.8 million viewers, an increase of 114% from 2023.
This phenomenon occurring in the women’s collegiate league has resulted in their viewership surpassing the men’s March Madness tournament in 2024. Male athletes in professional leagues have shown their support for these female basketball stars. This includes MLB star Mike Trout sporting Caitlin Clark’s jersey before the championship game, captioning his Instagram post: “Changing the game!” and NFL tight end and Iowa alumni George Kittle was seen showing his support by attending the second round of the NCAA tournament.
“It is so motivating to see how such strong women can be such a great example of what it’s like to have a spotlight but also be so humble about it,” Rodriguez said. “This season has just been truly so great to watch, and I believe that this is only just the beginning for the game.”
Clark and Reese have both declared for the WNBA draft which should boost the professional women’s basketball league’s viewership and international growth. This year’s craze for the amazing athletes at the collegiate level will hopefully carry over for many years to come.
