As March Madness is about to begin, three of the most recognizable names in college basketball are in the women’s tournament: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese y Paige Bueckers. Clark drew record crowds and high ratings throughout the season. Reese has LSU in contention for its second straight national championship. Bueckers is finally healthy and doing things on the court for UConn that are reminiscent of her rookie season when she was named AP Player of the Year. She adds a few rookie stars like JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo and the game is reaching never-before-seen heights. “We’ve seen a thousand percent change in the perception of women’s college basketball in general,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It doesn’t have to be at the expense of men’s college basketball. The increased coverage and star power that these players have; they are legitimate players and worth watching.”
For countless seasons, the hype around the NCAA tournaments has been focused on the men’s game. Single-year stars, traditional powerhouse programs, game-winning shots and athleticism get more attention. The women’s game has pretty much all of that too, and ratings and attendances this season suggest that casual fans are fully committed to a game that features star power and an increasingly high level of play. It helps that women’s players stay for three, four or even five years without the chance to leave early to play professionally, so fans get to know them and watch them grow. Three years ago, Clark said she thought women’s players should be able to turn pro after their first year, like men can. Instead, she stayed and had a record-breaking year that garnered the nation’s attention. “It’s really evident that there are stars in this game,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Before, I think they were there, but no one wanted to recognize it and appreciate it so much… They are very good. Everyone goes around telling everyone how good they are. They are all visible.”
ESPN said it just saw its most-watched women’s college basketball regular season in more than 15 years, with its viewership up 37% compared to last season. That doesn’t even really include the Clark effect, as the Iowa star hasn’t been in net much this season. Iowa’s ratings on Fox Sports were the highest in a generation. ESPN plans to show all of Iowa’s games, including some on ABC, as long as the No. 1 seed advances in the tournament. “It’s not just UConn and Tennessee on TV,” Auriemma said. “Those kids are on TV a lot. They’re in the spotlight a lot. They know how to handle it because they’re used to it now.” Clark, who broke the NCAA’s all-time scoring record this season, has helped six different networks reach all-time viewership marks for women’s basketball in the last year, starting with the NCAA championship game in last season which attracted almost 10 million viewers. “I have the opportunity to be in the spotlight and I can change the way people look at women’s basketball,” Clark said before the season. “The amount of people who have come up to me and said, ‘I’ve never seen women’s basketball before you and your team…’ Some people might take that as a negative. But to me that’s a positive. We’re finally making them turn on the TV and watch it, but not just watch it once. They come back for more.”
People aren’t just watching, they’re also going to the games. All big five conferences had huge crowds for their tournaments. The SEC and Big Ten had their best attendance ever. The Pac-12, ACC and Big 12 were not far behind. “The big names continue to get big numbers and people are watching and the media is paying attention,” Bueckers said. “The tournament will be great and will continue the rise of women’s basketball.” Fans who fill stadiums also stay afterward, hoping to get a coveted autograph. The importance of the moment is not lost on the stars of the game. Clark, Reese, Bueckers, Watkins and many others spend time after the game signing and taking photos with not only girls, but boys as well. “There were 400 people in the stands before she got here and now we’re exhausted,” Gottlieb said of Watkins. “We have NBA players who want to see it, WNBA players, musicians and actors too. Also regular fans, it’s a diverse crowd. Boys and girls asking me if I know JuJu. Could they meet Juju? Grown men who that you are in the center of Los Angeles. Even with Clark leaving for the WNBA after the NCAA Tournament, the future of women’s basketball remains strong with Bueckers, Watkins, Hidalgo and many other players emerging. “It’s going to get even better. A lot of kids coming out of high school are just incredibly good,” Auriemma said.
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2024-03-21 17:49:36
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