The NCAA women’s basketball national championship game on Sunday made history by attracting a record-breaking 18.7 million viewers. The game received significant media attention, partly due to the presence of Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark, which brought in a whole new audience to the sport.
South Carolina emerged victorious with a solid 87-75 triumph over Iowa at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Remarkably, this thrilling basketball game garnered the attention of millions, making it the most-watched game since 2019, both at the professional and collegiate levels, as confirmed by the network.
According to a statement from ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, the Iowa-South Carolina title game on Sunday attracted a record-breaking audience of 18.7 million viewers. This remarkable viewership solidified the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as the most-watched in history. Pitaro emphasized the captivating performances of the athletes, coaches, and teams, and stressed the importance of maintaining the incredible momentum generated by this tournament.
The semifinal matchup between Iowa and Connecticut on Friday drew an impressive 14.2 million viewers, surpassing the viewership of every World Series game and NBA Finals game last year.
On Friday, Iowa emerged victorious with a 71-69 win over UConn.
Sunday’s championship marked the end of an era for the renowned Clark. Throughout her college career, she made waves by shattering Division I scoring records, capturing the attention of both the women’s and men’s basketball communities.
She achieved a remarkable feat in the championship, scoring an impressive 30 points. As a result of her outstanding performance, she has now earned the opportunity to enter the highly anticipated WNBA draft.
South Carolina’s perfect season was solidified with this victory. Last year, their Final Four dreams were dashed by Iowa in the tournament.
“Saturday Night Live” acknowledged the significant focus on women’s college basketball. The show opened with a clever parody of March Madness TV broadcasting, highlighting the disparity in attention between the women’s game and men’s college basketball.
“Women’s tournaments have their fair share of stars,” remarked Kenan Thompson, portraying former NBA player Charles Barkley. He added, “Caitlin Clark is representing brands like State Farm, Subway, Xfinity, and Nike. Meanwhile, I’m only working with three of those companies.”
Thompson had to dig deep into his memory and conjure up some words when asked to offer viewers a sneak peek of the men’s final.
He confidently stated that the men’s final on Monday would feature a match between Quinnimac College and Northern Southern State.
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