Men's college basketball

Men vs. Women: A Basketball Showdown in Viewership

Find out why more people tuned in to watch the Women's College Basketball Tournament than the Men's, creating a historic milestone in basketball viewership.

In the world of college basketball, the battle for viewership dominance between men's and women's tournaments has taken a surprising turn. While Gonzaga secured a respectable 15th rank in the AP Top 25 poll, the spotlight shifted to the Women's College Basketball Tournament, which outshone its male counterpart in terms of viewership. The final game of the women's tournament attracted a larger audience than any other basketball event in the past five years, including both NBA and NCAA men's games.

The NCAA women's basketball championship between South Carolina and Iowa set a new viewership record, with a total of 18.9 million people tuning in and a peak of 24.1 million viewers. On the contrary, the men's national championship game, where the UConn Huskies secured a back-to-back victory, drew an average of 14.8 million viewers. The gap in viewership numbers between the men's and women's championship games highlighted the growing interest and excitement surrounding women's college basketball.

Despite the men's final ratings experiencing an increase, they fell short of the women's historic viewership numbers. UConn's triumph over Purdue in the men's final was watched by 14.82 million viewers, a strong showing but unable to surpass the 18.87 million viewers who tuned in for the women's championship game. The prowess of women's college basketball players like Caitlin Clark has propelled the sport to new heights, attracting larger and more diverse audiences.

In a historic milestone, the Women's March Madness Championship topped the men's for the first time, showcasing the growing popularity and relevance of women's college basketball. Caitlin Clark may have not won a national championship, but her impact on the sport has been monumental, contributing to the increased viewership and success of women's college basketball.