The women’s March Madness Tournament recently wrapped up, and with record high viewership many are wondering what has sparked this seemingly sudden popularity in women’s basketball. A lot of this new popularity can be attributed to Caitlin Clark and the skill she has demonstrated with her University of Iowa women’s basketball team.
Last year’s tournament finals between Louisiana State University versus The University of Iowa brought a lot of new attention to the women’s game, and people were enthralled in the competition between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. That attention carried on to this year’s tournament, and the final between Iowa and South Carolina reached a women’s basketball record high of 14.2 million viewers.
“I think Caitlin Clark is just making women’s basketball more known, and through her competitive nature and skill she is making more people want to watch,” senior Hannah Galbreath said. “She is inspiring young girls to play because they want to be as great as she is.”
Throughout her time at Iowa, Caitlin Clark won many different awards and set many records. She is the leading scorer across men’s and women’s collegiate basketball. She has had the most 30-point games by any man or woman in Division 1 in the past 25 seasons. In her time playing college basketball, she broke many records and shined a new light on women’s basketball.
“I think you see so many people being so critical of Caitlin Clark, and many doubt her skills and talent because they do not expect some of this stuff coming from a woman,” senior Nayomi Johnson said. “She is breaking records across men’s and women’s basketball, and I think people are just scared to accept that she is one of the best and also a woman.”
With the introduction of NIL deals across college sports in these last few years, many athletes have been greatly compensated for this work on the court. Caitlin Clark’s NIL deal is approximately 3.1 million dollars. Clark makes the most out of any women’s basketball player, with deals from companies such as Nike, Gatorade, State Farm and Xfinity.
“I think it is exciting to see all the popularity that is growing around women’s basketball in large part because of Caitlin Clark,” senior Karolina Jaskot said. “I want to see how this popularity will expand into other women’s sports and to see what is ahead for Caitlin Clark.”
Clark and other star players from different teams such as Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, JuJu Watkins, Cameron Brink, and many others, are elevating the women’s basketball game while also highlighting the skills of their teammates.
“I think one of the best things about some of these star players is that they embrace the attention they are getting, but they also point out the strengths and talent of their teammates,” Johnson said. “They use the attention they are receiving to help other players get to the top as well.”
Clark recently entered the 2024 WNBA draft and was selected as a first round pick to the Indiana Fever. There has been a noticeable price increase for Indiana Fever tickets for the WNBA season ahead. Many fans of Clark are following along to see what she does at this next level and are taking new interest in the women’s game.
