SSunday's NCAA women's basketball tournament final has been hailed as a turning point for women's sports in the United States after drawing more U.S. television viewers than the men's final for the first time in history. Pioneers of star athletes like Connecticut's Paige Bueckers, LSU's Angel Reese, and Southern California's JuJu Watkins are shaping the future of how all women's sports are covered, commercialized, and consumed. Over the past few months, the women's game has raised its profile to unprecedented heights while recalibrating expectations.
But no player has raised the national consciousness quite like Caitlin Clark. Caitlin Clark is a ponytailed, once-in-a-generation talent from the University of Iowa who has had a huge impact on college basketball and American sports in general, belying her modest 6-foot frame.
The 22-year-old West Des Moines native broke Pete Maravich's 54-year-old record earlier this year to become the all-time leading scorer in major college basketball, and he broke the record multiple times as he carried Iowa State to the finals. In the process, new TV ratings benchmarks are created. After the Hawkeyes were denied a storyline ending by South Carolina in Sunday's title game, Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley said that despite Clark leading all scorers with 30 points, Cleveland's Rocket He didn't even begin his victory speech at Mortgage Fieldhouse before paying tribute to the woman. At this point, saying: “I would like to personally thank Caitlin Clark for elevating our sport. She has carried a huge burden for our sport and it won't stop here.”
quick guide
Caitlin Clark's best moments
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Caitlin Clark's best moments
November 12, 2019 – Commitment to the University of Iowa A prodigy who first caught the attention of college programs in the seventh grade, Clark initially played for two teams before transferring to the lesser-known Hawkeyes for a chance to build something special in his hometown. He signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Notre Dame, a two-time national champion. .
February 26, 2023 – Buzzer beater surprises Indiana Clark's national profile leveled up midway through his junior season, when he hit a clutch 3-pointer at the death to defeat the No. 2 Hoosiers team in the nation.
March 31, 2023 – Ruins South Carolina’s perfect season in the Final Four. More than just happy to be there after leading Iowa State to its first Final Four in 30 years, Clark poured in 41 points to spark a famous upset of an undefeated South Carolina team.
February 15, 2024 – Become NCAA women’s basketball all-time leading scorer. Needing just eight points to pass Kelsey Plumb as the NCAA women's career scorer, Clark made history in style in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. She broke her record with a 35-foot logo three less than three minutes into her start and scored a career-high 49 points in a win over Michigan.
April 7, 2024 – Third TV ratings record set in 8 days After drawing a record U.S. television audience of 12.3 million viewers for their win over LSU in the Elite 8, Clark and the Hawkeyes followed up just days later with their win over UConn in the Final Four drawing 14.2 million viewers. , surpassing their own record…and again with 18.9 million viewers for the NCAA title game tilt against South Carolina.
It was the culmination of a transformative season headlined by Clark that saw women's basketball penetrate the American mainstream like never before. TV numbers only tell half the story. Consider a morning chat show that dissects the stars, personalities, and beefs of the entire women's game after years of being completely ignored. Or that the cheapest ticket on the resale market for Sunday's title game cost more than $500 (£400) at tip-off, more than triple the asking price for Monday night's men's final. Or the more than 17,000 people who gathered to watch the Iowa-South Carolina game last Saturday. at public practice, by the time Clark and the Hawkeyes took the court, organizers were forced to turn fans away. Or a Saturday Night Live sketch centered around how the Clarks overshadowed the men's tournament. When she broke her college scoring record, fans including Joe Biden, Billie Jean King, Jason Sudeikis, Mila Kunis, LeBron James, and Tom Brady were quick to congratulate her.
Hardcore basketball fans are familiar with Clark since she emerged as one of the top-ranked recruits in the country during a standout career at Dowling Catholic High School. After first signing her letter of intent to play at two-time national champion Notre Dame, she left the lesser-known ranks in search of an opportunity to build something special near her hometown. I decided to reconsider and work on programs that I had not yet implemented. This choice forever endeared her to the people of Iowa. .
She wasted no time making an impact, scoring 27 points in her debut and leading the Hawkeyes to the Sweet Sixteen as a freshman, but it wasn't until last season that she catapulted into celebrity status.
Clark has a crowd-pleasing style of play that even the general public understands with his ability to score from anywhere past midcourt and create chances for his teammates while playing at an extremely high pace. We make it easy. Her ability to hit 3-pointers from the midcourt logo has drawn comparisons to NBA star Stephen Curry, while her exceptional court vision and ability to hit one-handed passes to all corners of the court keep her contained. making it almost impossible.
Clark and the Hawkeyes will be reservation-only after a record 55,646 fans attended an October preseason game at the outdoor football stadium. Iowa State's victory over LSU in the Elite Eight drew 12.3 million television viewers in the United States, making it one of the most-watched non-NFL sporting events of the past year. Last Saturday night's Final Four game against Connecticut averaged 14.2 million viewers and peaked at 17 million viewers, more than all of last year's World Series and NBA Finals games.
Sunday's title game against South Carolina followed, averaging 18.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN. That number was well above the 14.82 million average for University's 75-60 win over Purdue in the men's final on Monday on TBS and TNT.
There is reason to believe women's basketball can maintain this momentum. Schools are pouring more money into girls' sports than ever before. With social media and new rules that allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, players can now amplify their star power like never before. The growth of conference networks and ESPN's commitment to broadcasting games on its flagship channel means that more regular season games are televised than ever before. The system that allowed players like Clark to get in front of viewers seems built to last.
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“Like everyone says, it's a moment, but it's more than a moment, you know?” UW coach Geno Auriemma said last week. “Sometimes moments become minutes, minutes become hours, hours become days. And before you know it, it's part of the national pastime.”
Women's college basketball has always had great players at the top, from Sheryl Miller to Sheryl Swoopes to Lisa Leslie to Diana Taurasi to Candice Parker to Brianna Stewart to Sabrina Ionescu. But a richer talent pool than ever has produced more stars and more suspense, helping expand the sport's reach to new audiences. They are not watching the games because they are told they have to support women's sports, but because they are watching the games in their own way.
The question is whether the excitement Clark has generated will carry over into the professional ranks at Monday night's WNBA Draft in Brooklyn. Clark is expected to be selected with the first overall pick by the Indiana Fever. Early signs are positive, with two WNBA teams already moving games against Indiana to larger arenas to meet demand.
“We know her shoulders are heavy because of what she has to give to women's basketball. We just want to say we're grateful. We're grateful that she chose to play basketball. “I'm doing it,” Staley said Sunday. “We're grateful for the way she handled everything. Her next step is the WNBA. I believe she can be someone who lifts us up.”
