College Basketball: The Dawn of a Viewership Renaissance
March Madness 2024: The Women Stamping Their Authority
Denver: The University of Colorado’s women took the big stage, riding the wave of a 24–10 season to the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, The Buffaloes fell short in a 68–89 loss to championship contender Iowa.
Although Colorado’s season ended prematurely, the program is making waves as a national contender. The Buffaloes have won 20 or more games in the past three seasons to go along with three March Madness appearances.
“I might be biased, but you would be a fool to think we aren’t entering the golden era of women’s basketball,” said Colorado senior guard Jaylyn Sherrod. “I would’ve loved to go out on top but that’s just not how the cookie crumbled.”
Sherrod, now a member of the New York Liberty, remarked on the hardwood memories she created in Boulder. Colorado’s women's basketball program is progressing upward, attracting more eyes than ever. The January 19 loss vs. UCLA (ranked fourth in the nation during the Pac-12 encounter) marked the first women’s basketball sellout in 29 seasons.
“You always love to see continuous growth universally across the programs we offer at the institution,” said Rick George, Colorado athletic director. “Women’s basketball has been on the rise for the last few years, and nobody else benefits from it other than our students and community.”
The Final That Changed Everything
Overcome with the joy of reaching the pinnacle for the third time in her collegiate coaching career, South Carolina Women’s Basketball head coach Dawn Staley addressed the world. “We serve an unbelievable god,” said Staley in tears, speaking to ESPN following the Gamecocks 87–75 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes, led by WNBA number one overall pick Caitlyn Clark.
Freshman guard Tessa Johnson led the Gamecocks to their second national title in three years with 19 points, while the third pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, Kamilia Cardoso, chipped in with 15 points to go along with a game-high seven rebounds.
While a dynasty might be brewing in Columbia, South Carolina, with Staley at the head of it all, the national focus on the NCAA Division I Women’s basketball tournament showcased the spotlight on a game full of notable athletes. The championship encounter at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, shattered multiple viewership records.
“You have to allow young people to be who they are, but you also have to guide them and help them navigate this tough, tough world,” said Staley. “But when you do, history is what happens.”
Viewership for the final reached 18 million during the second quarter and peaked at over 21.4 million viewers in the closing minutes of the spectacle that aired on ABC and ESPN. These numbers are even more significant because the men’s final historically dwarfs the women’s when viewership is concerned.
The men’s final between number one-seeded Purdue and Connecticut peaked at 14.8 million viewers — about 4 million less than the women’s championship. For the first time in NCAA tournament history, viewership of the women’s championship game was higher than the men’s game.
There has to be a first time for everything in sports, but does the sudden flip in interest paint a larger picture regarding the future of professional sports, or is it just a revolutionary phenomenon meant to change college sports forever?
The Draft Class That Revolutionized Women’s Basketball
The introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness policies in the summer of 2021 changed the landscape of college sports forever. Students can monetize their accomplishments outside their school-funded and government-sponsored scholarships and benefits. For the most notorious student-athletes, the ability to monetize achievements has shepherded in a new era that empowers collegiate athletes.
“As we continue to evaluate current NCAA rules, we expect to offer further guidance in the future on what should and should not be done when engaged in these activities,” said Jere Morehead, chair of the NCAA board and president of the University of Georgia. “We are committed to fostering a fair and appropriate NIL environment that supports our students and complies with our rules.”
The ESPN Women’s 100 class of 2020 alone features three of the top ten women’s NIL earners and performers from March Madness.
Paige Bueckers (Ranked First in the ESPNW 100 Class of 2020)
Ranked first in the country coming out of high school, Paige Bueckers took the collegiate game by storm. Averaging 20 points, six assists, and five rebounds her freshman year, Bueckers took home a litany of awards ranging from the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Player and Freshman of the Year.
However, the injury bug dampened her sophomore and junior years. Due to a tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear in 2021 and torn ACL in 2022, Bueckers missed 22 games and two postseason tournaments.
Injuries would not stop the warrior as Bueckers played in all 39 games for UCONN in 2023–2024, leading the Huskies to their record 23rd Final Four appearance in program history.
“What always impressed me with Paige is that she makes everyone around her better,” said St. Michael-Albertville’s head girls basketball coach Kent Hamre. “Truly a class act!”
Aided by her 1.7 million Instagram followers, Bueckers’s talent has attracted brands including Nike and Chewy.
Angel Reese (Ranked Second in the ESPNW 100 Class of 2020)
Resse, Nicknamed the “Bayou Barbie,” is a two-time SEC player of the year. In her four-year collegiate career at Maryland and LSU, Resse averaged a dominant 18.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.
“She won’t be a center at the next level,” said ESPN basketball analyst Chiney Ogwumike in the build-up to the 2024 WNBA draft. “However, her talent and presence on the court will surely benefit a team in need in the league.”
Known for her paint presence and charismatic persona, Reese is no stranger to the spotlight. She was LSU’s centerpiece, helping the Tigers win their first national title in program history in 2023. Before being selected eighth in the WNBA draft by the Chicago Mercury, ON3 set Resse’s NIL valuation at $1.8 million, ranking her third in 2024 women’s earnings behind only Clark and Olivia Dunne.
Resse’s talents on the court have attracted the attention of brands, including Reebok, AirBNB, Beats by Dre, Amazon, and Goldman Sachs. At the time of her selection as the 8th pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Resse had the third-highest women’s and seventh highest total NIL in the country.
Caitlyn Clark (Ranked Fourth in the ESPNW 100 Class of 2020)
Clark, the two-time women’s player of the year, is the talk of the town in the world of sports. Averaging 28 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists in her 139-game career at Iowa, she will now take her talents to the Indiana Fever to team up with last year’s number-one pick, Aliyah Boston.
In Iowa’s unfortunate back-to-back title game losses, Clark did not disappoint, averaging 30 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in two championship losses. Known for her staggering perimeter shooting, Clark has already garnered the attention of major brands, including Gatorade, State Farm, and Nike.
According to Business Insider, Clark is ranked fourth in 2024 NIL earners, falling behind Shaduer Sanders (University of Colorado), Bronny James (University of Southern California) and Dunne (Louisiana State University).
Comparatively, the women stack up quite nice with their male counterparts when looking at the men and women with the highest NIL Valuations in 2024.
Before her WNBA draft selection, ON3 set Clark’s NIL valuation of around $3.1 million. Her Instagram profile also demonstrates her skyrocketing popularity, as she ranks in the top 10 most followed collegiate athletes.
“We are looking at the women’s Steph Curry,” said Stephen A Smith, sports personality and host of ESPN’s First Take. “She’s just that sensational.”
While it may not be the case that women’s sports are universally taking over regardant viewership, one thing for sure is that the women are here to stamp their authority over the future of American college and international sports.
