The first women’s basketball Division I NCAA tournament was in 1982, with Louisiana Tech University taking home the debut trophy. Since then, women’s basketball has made significant strides forward, with the WNBA being founded in 1996 and NCAAW gaining the right to use the term March Madness in 2022.
People have begun to take women’s sports more seriously, with athletes like Caitlin Clark making it known to audiences that female athletes are talented and skilled. When women’s sports first started, they were simply not given the same resources and opportunities as men. That is not to say that they had less potential to be athletic.
After Clark’s monumental journey with the University of Iowa in the Women’s March Madness finals and a record-breaking rookie season with the Indiana Fever in the WNBA, she made significant progress in viewership of women’s basketball. The star-studded class of 2024 made very prominent leaps forward for the game as they saw a 65% increase in viewership, but with the loss of players like Clark, many worried this upward trend would decrease.
Although rounds only up to the Sweet Sixteen have been played of this year’s women’s March Madness tournament, and not the high-stakes finals, the viewership has been down 22% since last year but up 43% since 2023. This downward trend was expected with the loss of Clark and the hype around her, but it is not to say that the trend will continue down or that this class of players is less talented.
It is important to note that there has been a significant increase in viewership since 2023, demonstrating how the “Caitlin Clark effect” still prevails in women’s college basketball. However, while Clark may have been the main face of last year’s tournament and women’s sports in general, many other players were part of that movement forward.
To serve as an example, Angel Reese from Louisiana State University (LSU) is an incredible player who was a part of the increase in viewership because of her incredible skills and partly due to her supposed rivalry with Clark. The media pitted them against each other, adding a dramatic aspect and making people more interested in the game.
Some of this year’s stars of the NCAA tournament are Paige Bueckers from the University of Connecticut (UConn), JuJu Watkins from the University of Southern California (USC) and Hailey Van Lith from Texas Christian University (TCU). Many of these players have gone viral not just for their extraordinary talent but also for their social media presence. This presence has increased the tournament’s viewership through relatable press because it gives people personalities to root for.
Bueckers is the suspected number-one WNBA draft pick for 2025. She is currently in her fifth year and has gained significant popularity over the past season due to her undeniable talent. She averages 19.2 points per game and hopes to lead UConn to win their 12th national championship. UConn and South Carolina are the favored winners of the tournament, but there can always be upsets.
Watkins recently tore her ACL in USC’s last game (which led them to the Sweet Sixteen), but she is one of the faces of the future of women’s basketball. As a freshman, she made it to the Elite Eight and was one of the leading scorers for that Trojans squad.
Van Lith has helped set records for TCU women’s basketball. She helped them to their first Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight in program history. Van Lith transferred from LSU to TCU for the 2024-2025 school year and has been very impactful in progressing the program.
These players are just a few of the insanely talented ones currently changing women’s college basketball; they show that Clark is not the only reason people should watch the tournament. Women’s March Madness is worthy of its growing appreciation because of players’ proven skill and athleticism.
