As the popularity of women's college basketball soars, attendance at Harvard's home games this season has increased to an average of 1,054, an increase of nearly 300 from last year.
This surge in attendance narrows the gap with Harvard's men's team, which saw attendance drop by about 100 people compared to the average attendance of 1,339 this season.
This year also marked the first time that viewership for the women's basketball NCAA championship game exceeded the men's game, with many watching University of Iowa star Caitlin Clark's final collegiate game against the University of South Carolina. I watched it to watch it.
At Harvard University, former University President Claudine Gay and Massachusetts Gov. Maura T. Healey '92 sat in the front row during a home game at Labietes Pavilion in January.
Katie Krupa ’26, a sophomore on the basketball team, said she has noticed an increased focus on women’s basketball in her personal life.
“Just recently, some of my friends outside of basketball and sports came up to me and said, 'You know I'm watching the Iowa vs. University game,'” Krupa said. . .
Still, Krupa acknowledged the difficulty of playing women's basketball before its recent popularity boom, saying “it's hard to be passionate about the sport” when no one “really understands the passion.”
Harmoni Turner '25, a junior on the team, said it was “definitely difficult” to care so much about the sport before it gained so much attention.
“I think women's basketball is definitely a competitive sport, but it's been very undervalued for many years,” Turner said.
Turner said she noticed a noticeable change during her time at Harvard compared to when home games sometimes drew “about five people in the stands” to Harvard women's basketball games.
“It seemed like yesterday when there were no people in the stands and no one cared about basketball. And now all people are talking about is women's basketball.” Turner said.
Elle E. Stauffer '25, a junior on the basketball team, also noticed the change.
“The crowd has definitely increased, especially since my freshman year,” Stauffer said. “There were some sellouts, so that’s a big deal.”
Krupa said the crowd at Harvard's women's game looks different than the men's game, with more families and fewer alumni.
“You see a lot of different expressions in the stands,” Krupa said. “Women's basketball doesn't have as many crowds as the men's. In fact, sometimes I notice we have more enthusiastic people in our crowd.”
“Usually it's new faces, young faces,” Krupa added.
Turner also pointed out that Ivy League basketball has produced some of the best talent in recent years. Last week, three Ivy League players were drafted into the WNBA, including former Crimson star Mackenzie E. Forbes '23.
Turner said he wishes the Ivy League level of play would be more widely recognized.
“We’re in the Ivy League, so sometimes we get thrown under the bus a little bit,” Turner said.
She pointed out that teams like Columbia, which finished the season 23-7, had stronger seasons than some of the teams that remained in the NCAA Tournament. Columbia qualified to play Vanderbilt for a spot in the tournament, but lost the game.
Still, Turner said he hopes to have multiple Ivy League teams in the NCAA Tournament.
“There's certainly a lot of talent in the Ivy League, and there should be multiple teams participating in March Madness every year,” Turner said.
Stauffer said it's difficult to qualify for a national championship in a competitive sport like basketball, but that Harvard's athletes are “challenging both academically and athletically.” He said he is doing so.
“I think this really shows how dedicated we are and how talented we are, not only on the court but off the court,” Stauffer said.
—Staff writer Jo B. Lemann can be reached at jo.lemann@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @Jo_Lemann.
