Women’s sports are reaching a higher level of popularity than ever before, and March Madness this year is further proof of the impact that women’s college basketball has had. In years past, the women’s NCAA basketball tournament has been hidden under the prevalence of the men’s tournament. People only filled out brackets for the men’s games, and only tuned in for the men’s game. This year, the women’s elite eight starred LSU and Iowa, a rematch of last year’s championship game. The game averaged 12.3 million viewers, shattering the ESPN record for any college basketball game, men’s or women’s.
“It’s great to see the sport I play growing to such a high level of viewership,” senior girls basketball player Brookelyn Rasmussen said. “It’s been overlooked for a long time and it’s finally getting well deserved recognition. Some amazing players are finally getting noticed for the work they put in.”
The recent classes of recruits have produced some incredible players who have brought women’s basketball to new heights. Players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith, JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers, and many more are setting the bar high for those to come, providing them with increased fan bases and incredible surges in viewership. The success of these players and their program has caught the attention of the country, drawing more and more interest in the sport.
“The storylines surrounding women’s basketball are nonstop and compelling,” sportscaster Ann Schatz said in an interview with Forbes writer Susan M. Shaw. “There are a dozen teams which have serious action to win it all, which keeps coverage and scoreboard watch at an all time high. The parity and depth of high level teams is truly something to behold.”
The NCAA women’s basketball tournament ended with a close match-up of Iowa and South Carolina. South Carolina was looking to complete a perfect season, while Iowa was hoping to finally get their title after losing in the championship the past two years. South Carolina maintained a 38-0 record and finished off Iowa 87-75 to claim the title. The viewership numbers almost doubled last year’s championship, at 18.7 million viewers.
