My Son Picked #22: The Rise of Women's Basketball and What it Means for Gender Equality
My son chose #22 for his new basketball uniform. That small fact says so much. Because that is Caitlin Clark’s number. A female basketball player’s number. Perhaps, before this year, that would have seemed a far off possibility. But this is the year that women’s basketball hit the tipping point. This is the year that women’s basketball was consumed by the masses - not just female athletes, not just girl dads - the masses. As a parent, a life-long athlete, and a champion for women’s rights, this is a dream come true.
You can cut the numbers all sorts of ways but the bottom line is that viewership broke records - by a lot. The women’s NCAA Final was the most watched basketball game - men or women, college or pro - since 2019, and the most watched college game EVER to air on ESPN; the trio of women’s final four games was up 114% from last year and 299% higher than 2022; and the women's final had the biggest audience for a Sunday afternoon sporting event on ESPN and ABC since a January 2021 NFL game.
This tipping point in women’s basketball is so significant because it’s helping solidify the long sought moment where women’s sports are no longer relegated to the implied diminutive “women’s” sports, but rather to the mainstream. Don’t get me wrong, this phenomenon has been happening for some time now as we have seen with US women’s soccer and so on, but the confluence of factors have come together in a way that’s rubber stamping the legitimacy of women’s sports.
Women’s sports is in a way one of the last vestiges of gender inequality to take flight towards progress. Not to say there isn’t A LOT of work to do in all sorts of areas (paid leave, pay equity, unattainable definitions of beauty, just to mention a few) - but it feels like gone are the days where my male high school friends who were average basketball players claimed they could play in the WNBA. I just don’t think my son would even think to make that prodding joke because it would simply fall flat. Female athletes are now role models for young girls AND boys. This has been the feminist sports dream all along.
A few thoughts on what has brought us to this point (in addition to the OG catalyst Title IX):
The Caitlin Clark Effect. We can’t ignore the enormous impact Clark has had on women’s basketball and sports overall, surpassing scoring records and selling out stadiums with a fan base watching every game with bated breath. She is arguably the most well known college athlete - male or female - and may be the most well known female basketball player of all time. According to a study by the Common Sense Institute of Iowa, the increased spending over the last three basketball seasons due to the growing attendance at home games generated a direct increase to Iowa’s GDP of between $14.4 million and $52.3 million, with an estimated $82.5 million in consumer spending. That’s nearly double the state revenue collected from the 2021 Iowa State Fair. But the recent popularity of women’s basketball is not all due to Clark’s prowess: the second and third best known college athletes are likely Angel Reese and JuJu Watkins, and according to ESPN, tournament games not involving Clark saw a 76% growth year-over-year.
Invest in Women's Sports. Sports kingmakers are finally waking up to the monetization opportunity that is women’s sports. Turns out fans really enjoy watching women’s sports - from gymnastics to soccer to volleyball - we have seen this time and again. Investing in the marketing of women’s sports, airing games on major networks during primetime - and treating it like a business - actually works. Making money takes money to begin with. Add to this the NCAA decision to allow college athletes to be paid for the name, image, and likeness which has been critical to the increased popularity of these athletes. Athletes are using social media and sponsorship deals to build their brand, creating personalities that people want to follow, thereby cultivating a fan base (in addition to income for the athletes).
Everyone Loves a Good Story. This season brought us Dawn Staley and her heart, Caitlin Clark and the trio of Iowa Seniors, Geno Auriemma’s injury plagued UCONN team, the always entertaining Kim Mulkey and her LSU superstar Angel Reese, a killer recruiting class heading to the WNBA (Clark, Reese, Bueckers, Brink, and 6’7” Cardoso), the historic ESPN crew of five black female analysts (Duncan, Carter, Ogwumike, Peck, and Boston) guiding us through the final, and the list of characters keeps going. My husband - one of the many recently converted evangelists of women’s college basketball - expressed his sadness that we would no longer have the opportunity to watch the Iowa seniors play, the now famous friendship whose chemistry off the court clearly translated on. These players and coaches with their grit, determination and love of the game have brought us joy. Just ask my dad who has been binge watching old Iowa games on youtube for the past month (all day, every day, I kid you not).
Quality of the Game. The quality of women’s basketball has just gotten so much better. I have been a die-hard fan since my high school basketball days when I attended UCONN basketball camp every summer and even I can admit it hasn’t always been as competitive and exciting as the men’s game. There has traditionally been a very small cohort of schools that played at an elite level - UConn, Tennessee, Stanford - but over the past 15 years the quality of play and the growth in the number of competitive programs has soared. This generation has had access to leagues, training and elite play that we didn’t have growing up 20 years ago, in large part thanks to the trickle effect of Title IX.
Good Basketball Fundamentals. The women’s game showcases great fundamentals - great passing, great defense and some jaw dropping shooting. The ten foot hoop is also HIGH for these players. And logo threes are FAR. And while the men’s game is great, it’s shiny moves and more individual play (hello NBA) and it’s not that hard for these 7 foot somethings to dunk. But for a 6 foot lanky guard like Clark, a logo three is a huge feat. So it’s just fun to watch new challenges and accomplishments. And as my friend said, you can see yourself in a way in these players because it’s the basketball you grew up playing.
I can’t wait to see what comes of all of this in the next five, ten, fifteen years and at the very least we get to watch some great basketball.