CoventryThompson

This past year was a time filled with trends, culture moments, and news in general. And when it comes to the sports world, especially the college sports world, one name has seemed to take the world by storm: Caitlin Clark. 

On Feb. 15, Clark broke Kelsey Plum’s record of the highest scorer in NCAA women’s basketball. Just over three weeks ago, Clark broke Pete Maravich’s record to become the number one scorer of all time in the NCAA in both men’s and women’s categories.

Clark is not a stranger to controversy in her career. During the championship game of the 2023 NCAA women’s tournament, an interaction between her and LSU forward Angel Reese sparked news coverage.

The two women do not hold any hard feelings for each other and are actually friends.The media, however, was quick to insinuate a possible rivalry between the two women. To display their respect for one another after the Elite Eight game on April 1 where Iowa beat LSU 94 to 87, the two women hugged and exchanged encouraging words to one another.

Reese “taunting” Clark would not be the last time she was accused of displaying inappropriate on-court behavior. During the 2024 SEC conference championship game, Reese and South Carolina player Kamilla Cordoso engaged in an on court fight that also sparked controversy.

Despite some of these controversies, which are arguably very normal in both collegiate and professional sports, there is no doubt that these women have had phenomenal seasons, contributing to the growing popularity of the league. 

The prominent careers of these women are having a huge positive impact on  NCAA women’s basketball and the respect that female college athletes are now receiving.

NCAA women’s basketball fan, freshmen Delaney Schmitz, has definitely noticed a growth in the league’s popularity. “I love to see more people start to watch women’s basketball because they deserve as much as the men do,” Schmitz said.

Social media and sports outlets are not the only ones paying attention to the teams of Iowa, LSU and South Carolina. Schmitz said that “Caitlin Clark is super fun to watch because she is such a good player. LSU and South Carolina are also fun to watch.” She is also a fan of Creighton’s women’s team. 

Another fan, junior Charlee Novotny, favors UConn star, Paige Buekers, despite not having a favorite team.

Schmitz agrees that this jump in popularity is largely due to the women playing. She said, “I see women’s sports jumping in popularity and being more respected because of the amazing players that are making history.” However, she does think there is still room to grow and she would “love to see women’s sports being just as big as men’s sports.”

Novotny also agrees that there is still a long way to go in terms of equality between men and women in the sports world. There are some concrete changes she would like to see. “I would like to see basic things like more games televised on regular TV and equal NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals between athletes,” Novonty said. 

Women and their passion for the game are also portrayed much differently by the media than men’s passions, showing another inequality in the sports world. Angel Reese is a player who has continuously faced criticism for her passionate behavior during games. Reese has learned to embrace the criticism saying she’ll “take the villain role,” in an interview about her controversies. She may have embraced this role, but this does not erase the disproportionate criticism these women athletes face.

In the LSU vs. Iowa game on April 1, The game experienced record viewership. The game was watched by 12.3 million people, becoming the most watched women’s college basketball game in history according to ESPN. It is clear from this alone, as well as the extensive coverage of the league this year, that younger women are shaping the game and changing the world of women’s basketball. 

This phenomenal season was wrapped up on April 7 when Iowa faced undefeated South Carolina in the NCAA National Championship game. The game had a peak viewership of 24 million, 85% more viewers than last year’s championship game according to ESPN. South Carolina took home the championship, 87-75. However, this game represents more than just one team’s win; it represents a victory for all women who are shaping the future of women’s basketball.