For the first time ever, the NCAA women’s basketball final outrated the men’s basketball final, averaging 18.9 million viewers to the men’s 14.82 million.
The allure of South Carolina’s run for an undefeated season drew a lot of attention, but for much of the audience, the main story came from the losing team, as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark finished a legendary collegiate career.
“The 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament was a thrilling time and I was like many others, glued to the television watching women’s basketball,” director of athletics Sherryta Freeman wrote in an email.
Clark became the all-time leading scorer in women’s (and men’s) college basketball during her tenure at Iowa. Although South Carolina capped off its dominant season as national champions, Clark has remained in basketball headlines for weeks.
“Caitlin Clark is a once-in-a-generation type player,” junior guard Abby Antognoli wrote in an email. “What makes her so special is not just how well she can score, it’s how efficiently she can do it from such a deep range. Almost every shot of hers is from near half-court and contested. It is not only fun to watch, but unbelievable to know she can shoot the three from that far at such a high clip.”
Clark comes after a line of icons in women’s basketball that paved the way for female athletes.
“Maya Moore is definitely someone that I looked up to growing up, as well as Sue Bird,” senior guard Makayla Andrews said.
Andrews mentioned the role of LSU’s Angel Reese and UConn’s Paige Bueckers in gaining national recognition for women’s college basketball.
To Andrews, Reese and Bueckers are “two phenomenal female athletes that a lot of young girls can and do look up to, not just because of their great success on the court, but also the advocacy for closing the disparity between men and women’s athletics.”
Junior guard Halee Smith also mentioned the importance of Reese and Bueckers in women’s basketball, having played against both of them and seeing their impact on the sport.
Bueckers “was the overall shining star, but when she got hurt, I think Caitlin Clark, not only did she step up, but I think that she really paved the way for women’s basketball,” Smith said.
Clark was the first pick in the WNBA draft, which took place on April 15. She was drafted by the Indiana Fever, and WNBA ticket sales have since skyrocketed.
“It is not just basketball that deserves this attention, many other sports have women similar to Caitlin (like Charlotte North in lax) who stand as an icon for young girls, and show them that they too can become a star,” Antognoli wrote.
Andrews also discussed how great it was to see women’s sports gaining national attention.
“Since I was young and beyond that, women’s sports has kind of been slept on, but I think that this newfound awareness and attention are very good because we deserve it,” Andrews said. “We work just as hard. We’re just as good. And it’s great seeing women like me shine.”
