Written by Katherine Smith. Posted in basketball, sport news, women.
Women’s basketball in the USA is experiencing a surge in popularity with players such as Caitlin Clark, Juju Watkins, and Angel Reese, who have changed the world of women’s sports. This year’s March Madness tournament has displayed a wide range of spectacular talent from many female basketball players, drastically increasing the viewers and audiences to numbers never seen before in the realm of female sports.
Historically overshadowed by the Men’s tournament, Women’s March Madness, often overshadowed by the Men’s tournament, has experienced a huge shift in perception this year. The remarkable performances of teams like South Carolina, Iowa, Uconn, NC State, Southern California, LSU, and others have elevated the sport to new levels, attracting a significantly larger viewership. Notably, the Iowa Hawkeyes games drew more viewers this past year than World Series and NBA Finals games, signifying a significant milestone in the sport’s growing popularity.
The showdown between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the University of Iowa’s Hawkeyes was groundbreaking, averaging 18.7 million viewers and a combined 24 million on ESPN and ABC. In contrast, the Men’s Division 1 Uconn versus Purdue championship game averaged 14.82 million TV viewers on TBS and TNT. This was a historic first, as per ESPN, with a women’s final drawing a larger TV audience than a men’s final, underscoring the surging popularity of women’s basketball.
This era of unprecedented female athletes has brought new attention to female sports, specifically basketball, leading to the most watched basketball game, either men’s or women’s, college or professional, since 2019. With Caitlin Clark becoming the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader in Division 1 history, men’s or women’s, it is no surprise how many fans she and countless other talented players attract.
With this growing attention to female sports, we are moving towards a more gender-equal environment. This increase contributes to a broader cultural shift towards gender equality through the viewing of female athletes with better media coverage. With more fans and support, women’s basketball will inspire others and continue to provide a more equitable sports environment.
