WOMEN IN SPORT & THE ADVANCEMENT BY NCAA BASKETBALL & SOFTBALL

With the success of Caitlin Clark and the NCAA Women's tournament, there has been an emphatic push for women in sports. Whether that be from advertisements, the growth of coverage on women's sports OR the following of individuals players itself, these past 2 years have seen and exponential growth in women's sport. The coverage of women's sports has tripled since 2019, which also includes the success of NCAA sports. Women belong in sports and they are finally being given the opportunity to prove that. There is no longer the debate of if women sports should be covered because there has been proven stats that show that if covered, there will be viewers. 

As a women who has grown up watching and participating in sports, I have always looked up to male athletes because that is all that I was accustomed to and all that was shown on television. Young girls are now able to look at the television and see people that reflect them and their journey, and that is the beauty of the growth of women in sports. As a women looking to get into the sporting industry, I am well aware that we are anywhere near equality in sports but seeing the strides that have been taken in the past 2 years make me so proud to be a women in sport. 

Pictured: Oklahoma Softball

NCAA SOFTBALL
One of the sports that has really prompted the stride for women in sport is NCAA Softball. With the success of the Oklahoma Sooners and the dominance that they have had on the sport of softball, it is admirable the success that they have had to all of those that are lucky enough to watch. In 2022, the Oklahoma Sooners faced off with the Texas Longhorns to record, at the time, the largest viewership that an NCAA Women's World Series has seen. The finals averaging 1.7 million viewers (peaking at 2.1 million), in comparison to the NCAA Men's World Series with 1.6 million (peaking at 1.9 million). For one of the first times in NCAA history, an active women's sport was viewed more than an active men's sport. Women sports need to be broadcasted more because THIS WILL HAPPEN MORE OFTEN.

Pictured: Caitlin Clark

NCAA BASKETBALL
Before I even talk about NCAA Women's Basketball as a whole, there has to be a mention of Caitlin Clark. If there is one individual who has changed the face of women sports in the past 5 years, it is her. Not only has she been an advocate for young girls to get into sport but her athletic skill and ability on the court has been the BEST in NCAA history. If you want more information on the Caitlin Clark Effect, please read this article. Other than Caitlin Clark, women's basketball has become so competitive and the skill level has improved tremendously whether it be the undefeated South Carolina, Angel Reese, Kim Mulkey, Paige Bueckers, Juju Watkins, there are so many storylines this season. As recent as yesterday, the Iowa-LSU game tallied the highest viewership EVER in women's march madness history with 12.3 million viewers. In addition to that statistic, the women's march madness final four has sold 6x more tickets than the men's tournament. 

Women belong in sport. 

OTHER SPORTING NEWS
- Indiana State will play for the NIT championship game after they defeated Utah, 100-90 and will face the winner of Seton Hall and Georgia who play tomorrow. The championship game will be played on Thursday, April 4th. 

- Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes punched their ticket to the Women's Final Four after they defeated LSU in a rematch of the final game last year with a score of 94-87.

- SIU Maddie Groff leads the NCAA is ERA with 0.44 and will face off against the Bradley Braves for a weekend series 

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Who is your favorite female athlete or female team? 


Comments

  1. Jacob MorrellApril 3, 2024 at 3:16 PM

    Ever since Caitlin Clark really emerged, the way that me and my friends talk about women's sports has changed. Every time the WNBA was brought up, which was rare, was to make fun of it. This was something that was seen around the internet at large. People talk about how much they hate the WNBA often. It would be so easy for them to ignore it. It's not hard. Instead, they seek out the WNBA just to make fun of it. In the past few months, things have changed. Every time women's basketball gets brought up, I keep expecting for the other shoe to drop, but it never does. Comments are made about Clark's performances without any asterisks. People talk about women's basketball without following it up with a snarky comment. It's really refreshing.

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