“Caitlin takes the ball up court and passes to the left to get the ball back. 3 from 28 feet. Bottom!”
That's not the announcer for Sunday's women's NCAA basketball championship in Cleveland. It could be the voice of the thousands of kids, both male and female, who became fans of women's college basketball in their driveways, backyards, and school gyms. March Mad brought fans who normally root for the Seahawks or Kraken to bars and watch parties.
Stronger interest was sparked by players like Iowa's Caitlin Clark, Louisiana State's Angel Reese, and NCAA 2024 champion Camila Cardoso, Tehina Paopao and freshman Tess Johnson. All five, plus dozens more, including South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley, helped elevate women's sports in general, and college basketball in particular, to a position worthy of national prominence in sports this year did.
For example, Friday's women's Final Four game in which the University of Iowa defeated the University of Connecticut was watched by an average of 14.2 million viewers on ESPN. The network said it was the most-watched women's basketball game in history and the most-watched basketball game ever broadcast on ESPN.
Whether it's women's NCAA basketball or the love Seattle showed for the four-time WNBA champion Storm and (now retired) Sue Bird, there could be more of the same buzz and excitement this year. Bird, who is the subject of a new documentary similar to the one on display in March Madness, burst onto the national sports stage with her UConn in the late 1990s. This experience, like her college teammate Staley, paved the way for her success.
Clark will likely break several records this season and be drafted No. 1 into the WNBA. She spoke about her accomplishments as follows: I hope it inspires young boys and young girls to take up this sport and dream of doing whatever they want to do in life. ”
