Give Caitlin Clark credit for the significant NCAA women’s sports deal with ESPN.
In addition to being a gifted athlete of a new generation, Caitlin Clark is the driving force for the expansion of women’s sports in general. A new media partnership between ESPN and the NCAA has raised women’s sports to previously unheard-of heights. Although women’s sports are not the only focus of the agreement, they stand to gain the most from it.
The deal ensures that women’s basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics will all air on network television (ABC) and grants rights to 21 women’s championships. Throughout the year, ESPN linear networks will air more than 800 hours of NCAA championships; on linear and digital platforms, the total will be over 2,300. ESPN has promised media coverage for almost all women’s NCAA sports for the first time in the history of women’s sports.
The impact Clark had in securing this agreement and raising awareness of women’s sports, which extended beyond women’s basketball, is probably going to go unnoticed. She demonstrated that a sizable broadcast audience might be drawn to women’s collegiate athletics. Last year, during the NCAA women’s basketball championship tournament, Caitlin Clark made history by leading Iowa to the Final Four with a triple-double of 41 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. Her historic performance was seen by an astounding 2.49 million spectators of the game. Tickets for the women’s Final Four were three times more expensive than those for the men’s Final Four for the first time. The women’s finals between Angel Reese’s LSU Tigers and Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes were then shown on ESPN. By far the greatest audience to attend a women’s basketball game, approximately 10 million people tuned in because of the excitement in Clark and the rivalry between her and Reese. Women’s sports had suddenly gained popularity and were discussed at water coolers. It was the first time that women’s sports had attracted a large viewership on network television, outside of the Olympics or World Cup.
This sparked a widespread outcry over how the media was primarily ignoring and undervaluing women’s sports. Women’s collegiate volleyball this year smashed multiple attendance and viewership records thanks to the momentum started by Clark and women’s basketball. The result of this was the recent women’s college volleyball match that was televised on ABC, where Texas defeated Nebraska to win the NCAA national title. Despite airing on a Sunday and competing against NFL programming, the match saw record viewership for volleyball.
The recent heroics of Caitlin Clark have added fuel to the momentum and tailwinds that women’s sports have been enjoying. In Iowa’s 76-73 victory over Michigan State, Clark’s buzzer beater for her 40th point the other night sparked social media and solidified her status as a nationally renowned sports celebrity. She even has national endorsement contracts with brands like State Farm and Nike.
Clark is probably going to smash the NCAA scoring record next month. With 3,189 points, Clark is now ranked fifth on the all-time list. Set in 2013–17, Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces, two WNBA titles) set the record with 3,527 points at Washington. Clark is behind that total by 338 points, averaging 31.5 points as of January 3.With 3667 points, the all-time great Pistol Pete Maravich now holds the NCAA men’s record, which Clark may also surpass.
We cannot undervalue Clark’s accomplishments as women’s sports continue their ascent to widespread acceptance. These incredible feats are turning points that elevate women’s sports and increase their legitimacy and cultural acceptability.
