“March Madness,” which concludes this weekend, has been a huge ratings hit in the women’s category this year.
Much of this year's excitement comes from one superstar in particular: Iowa State's Caitlin Clark.
Ellen Hyslop, co-founder of The Gist, a female-led media company that covers sports, said in an interview with CTV's Todd Battis on Friday that Monday's match against Clark broke records.
“On Monday night, when the University of Iowa and Caitlin Clark played LSU and Angel Reese in the Elite 8, 12.3 million people tuned in to set a record for the Elite 8, which is a record for women's college hoops. , which is also a record for men's hoops,” Hyslop said.
“More people watched that game than any other NBA, NHL or MLB game last year, so if you didn't know Caitlin Clark's name, you probably do by now.”
Despite losing to the same LSU Tigers team in last year's March Madness finals, Iowa State is considered a favorite to win this year's championship.
“I think a lot of people are rooting for senior Caitlin Clark to win and go home, but it’s going to be really tough,” Hyslop said.
The finals have been decided, and Iowa State will face South Carolina on Sunday, and is one of the teams to watch.
“South Carolina is undefeated all season, so many are predicting that Iowa State will end up playing South Carolina, which could be a very fun game for all of us to watch. .”
The Women's Professional Hockey League also broke records.
“Yes, the PWHL is breaking records left, right and center. What's so great is that they partner with a lot of NHL teams and a lot of NHL stadiums and they play in these arenas and set records. We did it,” Hyslop said.
She added that the upcoming matches are already scheduled to be record-breaking.
“We're going to watch PWHL Toronto play PWHL Montreal, and that game sold out in minutes, so 21,000 people will be watching. A new world record for women's professional hockey will be set. “Sho,” she said.
Previously, Canada had a not-for-profit model, CWHL. That league was abolished in March 2019, so Canadian female hockey players had to go to the United States to play professionally.
Canada also had a Premier Hockey Federation, which was abolished in 2023.
Many players did not want to go south to play, leading to the creation of the PWHPA, which became the PWHL four years later.
Hyslop says she's glad the women's hockey league is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
“I think it's going to take a long time. They've been waiting over four years for this PWHL sustainable cross-border league to happen. Women can get paid and be able to play the sport they love.” ,” Hyslop said.
File from CTV's Todd Battis.
