For the first time in Final Four history, the women’s game viewership exceeded the men’s. There was growth from all aspects of interactions with the sport. “Attendance records, viewership and social media engagement” numbers all increased significantly.
During the women’s championship game, the average number of views was 18.9 million views. Within the last 15 minutes of the game, views peaked at an all-time high of 24.1 million views.
The men’s championship game however, is a completely different story. Their championship game only averaged a total of 14.82 million views, and University of Connecticut (UConn) was going for back to back championships. For comparison, their championship game last year averaged 14.7 million views.
This year’s women’s championship game broke a multitude of records, including being the “most-watched basketball game, either men’s or women’s and college or professional, since 2019.” The audience also increased by over 90% from last year. The views in the games leading up to the championship game increased so significantly that the championship game ended up becoming appointment television.
The women’s Final Four had three consecutive nights of record-setting views. It started when Iowa played against Louisiana State University (LSU); both played the championship game last year. The average number of views was a record 12.3 million views, peaking at 16.1 million views.
The women’s semifinal game, which was Iowa against the University of Connecticut, averaged at 14.2 million views.
There are many theories on why women’s basketball has just now started to take off. One reason is that people think women’s college basketball has “learned from the NBA and NFL on how to promote its stars.” However, promotion of this size can only work if there are superstar athletes, which in this case, there are many.
One of these superstar athletes is Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. Clark currently holds the record for most points made in a season in both men’s and women’s basketball. The previous record had stood since 1970 at 3,667 points, which Clark surpassed by totaling 3,951 points. Another one of this generation’s superstar athletes is LSU’s Angel Reese. Reese currently has the second most double doubles in a season. Finally, USC’s “freshman phenom” is JuJu Watkins. She set the record for most points scored by a freshman, with 920 points.
Overall, this sport has seen a massive increase in popularity. Many wonder if this trend in popularity for women’s college basketball will continue or if it is only temporary.
