1 year, 1 month ago

Women’s college basketball is having a moment. The NCAA needs to seize it

Shortly after the women’s NCAA Tournament set viewership and attendance records last year as LSU took down Iowa for the championship, the Charlotte Sports Foundation began making calls to see about hosting a major women’s basketball game to kick off the 2023-24 season. pic.twitter.com/shI90qCCiD — Front Office Sports November 10, 2023 But you also don’t normally have the women’s national title game peak at 13 million viewers. GO DEEPER Iowa women's basketball sets attendance record with game at Kinnick Stadium It doesn’t normally happen like this. Paris doesn’t happen unless Lea Miller-Tooley, the president of Complete Sports Management thinks outside the box about hosting the first college basketball game in Paris.

Game Basketball Teams Iowa South Carolina College Season Caitlin Clark Clark Paris Ncaa Espn Charlotte Morrison This Season Happen Normally seize ncaa womens season having basketball moment happen game clark normally college doesnt needs teams

History of this topic

2 weeks, 6 days ago

Caitlin Clark effect hasn’t reversed the decades-long decline in girls basketball participation

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! The decision by Grand Island Senior High School — the state’s third-largest with more than 2,600 students — reflects a national decline in participation in the girls sport, even as the popularity of women’s basketball behind the likes of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has …

3 weeks, 2 days ago

Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 to be retired during February ceremony at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Clark finished her college career last season as the all-time leading men’s or women’s scorer in NCAA Division I history and is widely regarded as a transformational figure in the women’s game. Hawkeye fans are eager to say thank you for so many incredible moments.” …

3 weeks, 2 days ago

The darker side of the rise of women’s sports: With more visibility comes more online harassment

Associated Press

NEW YORK — For Djaniele Taylor, attending WNBA games was the perfect way to rediscover a sense of community coming out of the long slog of pandemic-era lockdowns. Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas celebrates a basket while being fouled during the second half in Game 2 of a first-round WNBA basketball playoff series against the Indiana Fever, Sept. 25, 2024, …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Hernández: UCLA women prove beyond a doubt they are No. 1

LA Times

The best women’s basketball team in the country plays at Pauley Pavilion. South Carolina was expected to provide a formidable early-season test for the Bruins, but coach Cori Close’s team showed up at Nell and John Wooden Court with all of the answers. UCLA’s Timea Gardiner reacts after making a three-pointer against South Carolina on Saturday. UCLA’s Kiki Rice drives …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

In a ‘Final Four-type weekend,’ two top-6 clashes put women’s college basketball focus on West Coast

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! “To have two such marquee games back-to-back days on a weekend is unbelievable.” USC’s Galen Center and Pauley Pavilion are expected to be packed, with several WNBA scouts in attendance. “What a cool thing for women’s sports, but a cool thing for JuJu,” said Gottlieb, …

2 months ago

Women’s basketball isn’t having a moment. This is our new reality

New York Times

I was in the seventh grade the first time sports writing gave me a visceral feeling. GO DEEPER Paige Bueckers vs. JuJu Watkins: How UConn, USC stars will keep women's basketball in spotlight Defending champion South Carolina sold out its season ticket packages for the first time in program history. Limited season tickets remain for XL Center games ➡️ https://t.co/SLhPATBr4S …

2 months, 1 week ago

Paige Bueckers vs. JuJu Watkins: How UConn, USC stars will keep women’s basketball in spotlight

New York Times

USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb noticed a stranger approaching. Kevin Hart was in attendance to see JuJu Watkins and the USC Women’s Basketball team ✌️#ncaaw #fighton pic.twitter.com/31PLjQDknN — WNBA Got Game December 20, 2023 Bueckers, who won national Player of the Year as a freshman four years ago, is in her final season at UConn. Watkins’ and Bueckers’ play, storylines …

2 months, 1 week ago

SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC: A New Era for Women's Basketball

Associated Press

Conference realignment leads to a dramatic shift in women's basketball. Texas and Oklahoma will bolster an already strong Southeastern Conference while USC and UCLA add two of the top teams in the country to the Big Ten. The ACC welcomes Stanford and Cal, and Arizona, Colorado and Utah join the Big 12, and the remaining four power conferences have become …

2 months, 1 week ago

New Wave of Talented Women's Basketball Players Ready to Take Over

Associated Press

A new generation of talented women's basketball players is ready to take over. With the departures of Clark and Reese, several players are stepping up to fill the void. Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, Deja Kelly, and Hannah Hidalgo are among the many talented players who are poised to make a big impact on the sport. The future of women's basketball …

4 months ago

More TV opportunities are helping fuel the rapid growth of women’s college volleyball

Associated Press

MILWAUKEE — Just watch us once and you’ll be hooked. That is the message women’s college volleyball programs kept delivering as their sport went relatively unnoticed, struggling to find a television home amid the flurry of football games dominating screens each fall. The three biggest crowds for a women’s college volleyball match all happened in the last year, including 92,003 …

4 months, 2 weeks ago

NCAA lays out pay structure for women’s basketball tournament performances

Associated Press

A women’s basketball team that reaches the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament could bring its conference roughly $1.26 million over the next three years in financial performance rewards. There will be $15 million awarded to teams in the first year of the fund, which is 26% of the women’s basketball media revenue deal. Men’s basketball teams now receive 24% …

5 months ago

NCAA moves closer to financially rewarding women’s basketball teams that reach March Madness

Associated Press

Women’s basketball teams moved a step closer to getting financially rewarded for success in the NCAA Tournament. Central Arkansas President Houston Davis, who is the chairman of the board’s finance committee, said the panel has been working on women’s basketball units for about a year, though conversations go farther back than that. Baker said Thursday that the antitrust settlement the …

5 months, 2 weeks ago

Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament is returning to Indianapolis for semifinals and title game

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — The semifinals and championship game of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament will return to Indianapolis in 2025, the NCAA announced Tuesday. The NCAA created the 32-team WBIT as part of its response to an independent 2021 gender-equity report that found there were longstanding disparities between men’s and women’s postseason opportunities. “Indianapolis did an outstanding job hosting our inaugural …

8 months, 2 weeks ago

Women’s Basketball Could Be Huge. Will Men Let It?

Slate

This is Emotional Investment, Joel Anderson’s column about money and how we think about it. “We were born too soon,” said Molly Kazmer, who in June 1978 became the first player signed to the Women’s Professional Basketball League, or WBL, which is believed to have been the first pro league for women in the U.S. Then known as Molly “Machine …

9 months ago

The NCAA women’s tourney had everything: stars, upsets, an undefeated champion. It’s just the start

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — It isn’t just Caitlin Clark. While the two-time Associated Press Player of the Year understands her impact on the women’s NCAA Tournament during the Hawkeyes’ run to a second straight title game — with the sellouts she played in front of, the historic TV ratings and all those commercials, it was hard to miss — Clark never forgot …

9 months ago

NCAA president hopeful women’s teams rewarded for appearance in tournament like the men

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Despite huge TV ratings and unprecedented attention for women’s basketball, teams in the NCAA Tournament don’t cash in like their male counterparts. While nothing has been approved yet, Baker said the finance committee is targeting the 2024-25 season to give women’s teams financial compensation. “We just signed a new contract with ESPN and women’s basketball is a big …

9 months ago

Caitlin Clark, Iowa lose NCAA basketball final; win big on women’s sport

Al Jazeera

Clark missed out on US collegiate basketball’s greatest prize, but her game captured the imagination of fans everywhere. “When I think about women’s basketball going forward, obviously it’s going to continue to grow, whether it’s at the college level or the WNBA level,” Clark said of her legacy. “When you continue to give them the platform, things like this are …

9 months ago

Caitlin Clark set out to turn Iowa into a winner. She redefined women’s college hoops along the way

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Caitlin Clark doesn’t want to think about it. There’s a lot to be proud of.” Clark’s impact The evidence of how far Clark and women’s college basketball have come has been everywhere over the last month, nowhere more so than at a Final Four laden with star power both on the court and in the stands. “I think …

9 months ago

Women’s basketball growth helped by star players, more media coverage, rules changes

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Women’s basketball has grown in popularity over the past few years thanks in no small part to the sensational play of Caitlin Clark. I think there’s great players on the men’s and women’s side,” Purdue center Zach Edey said. “There’s just more media coverage now which helps immensely from a brand perspective,” said Sara Gotfredson, who founded the …

9 months ago

LeBron James says popularity of women’s basketball is due to familiar stars

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — LeBron James figures there’s at least one obvious explanation for the surging popularity of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. I think the popularity comes in is the icons that they have in the women’s game,” James said after his Los Angeles Lakers beat Washington on Wednesday night. And that’s just to name a few — the freshman that’s …

9 months, 1 week ago

This March Madness in women’s basketball is producing fewer upsets but closer games

Associated Press

This spotlight season for women’s college basketball isn’t merely creating brighter stars and bigger ratings. The top 16 women’s seeds play at home for the first two rounds while all men’s games are at neutral sites. Eleven lower seeds won in the first round of the men’s tournament, with Middle Tennessee the lone first-round winner among lower seeds in the …

9 months, 1 week ago

The women’s NCAA Tournament is having a big moment that has also been marred by missteps

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — A huge disparity between the men’s and women’s weight rooms drew attention to the women’s NCAA Tournament for all the wrong reasons in 2021, starting a conversation about equity that has carried over into today. The players were ultimately moved closer to Spokane, but there were questions about logistics, like why both men’s and women’s games were …

9 months, 1 week ago

NCAA investment in a second women’s basketball tournament emerges as a big hit in Indy

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — As the eagerly anticipated LSU-Iowa women’s rematch was about to tip off, Washington State coach Kamie Ethridge took a seat in Indianapolis, lamented her team’s season-ending loss and celebrated another milestone moment for the sport. Inside one of the sport’s venerable venues, Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse, Ethridge was one of many players and coaches gushing about the opportunities this …

9 months, 1 week ago

The women’s NCAA Tournament had center stage. The stars, and the games, delivered in a big way

Associated Press

There were plenty of people at a movie theater in central Iowa on Monday night, though very few of them were watching an actual movie. Rapper Travis Scott told his nearly 12 million followers on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, that Monday “might be one for the illest days in women’s sports historyyyyyyy.” And Hall of Famer Magic …

9 months, 1 week ago

Brilliant women’s NCAA Tournament doesn’t deserve any more amateur errors

New York Times

PORTLAND, Ore. — In the final minutes leading up to Sunday afternoon’s Elite Eight tipoff, Texas coach Vic Schaefer’s usual pregame routine came to a dramatic halt. “I really would have loved to have done what I normally do my last 12 minutes before a game instead of walking around out there, trying to see if the floor’s screwed up,” …

9 months, 2 weeks ago

Women’s college basketball has made huge strides. How have sportsbooks responded?

New York Times

The Athletic has live coverage of women’s March Madness and every Sweet 16 matchup Picture this: It’s the night of Selection Sunday. FanDuel says that bet count is up 139 percent since last year for the first two rounds of the women’s tournament, and that active customers betting on the women’s markets have increased by 172 percent. Across sportsbooks, the …

9 months, 2 weeks ago

Top women’s college players like Clark and Reese expect NIL deals to stay with them in the pros

Associated Press

Only a few short years ago, there was no inkling that college basketball players could be millionaires or at least be able to consider staying in school because they could earn enough money to make it worth their while even with pro contracts available. Women’s basketball is one of the hottest tickets in college sports, a popularity driven in part …

9 months, 3 weeks ago

Caitlin Clark behind increased betting interest in women's college basketball

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Caitlin Clark's audacious logo 3-pointers …

9 months, 3 weeks ago

Caitlin, Angel, Paige, JuJu and more. The March Madness star power this year is all about the women

Associated Press

As March Madness is set to tip off, three of the most recognizable names in college basketball are in the women’s tournament: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers. “One thousand percent we’ve seen a shift in just the perception of women’s college basketball in general,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. They’re all visible.” ESPN said it just saw the …

9 months, 3 weeks ago

Women's NCAA tournament slam dunks on the men this year

LA Times

The brackets for the two 2024 NCAA basketball tournaments have been announced and already there is one shining moment. “It’s March Madness, you have two Southern California women’s teams hosting the first two rounds of the tournament, get on board, let’s sell out both arenas, let’s go, it’s pretty tremendous!” Women’s college basketball these days is indeed pretty tremendous, with …

9 months, 3 weeks ago

Why March Madness belongs to the women: Star players, big ratings make it tourney to watch

New York Times

There’s always a sign. There were also my guy friends back home who, for the first time, were planning their weekend around the women’s NCAA Tournament games instead of the men’s. GO DEEPER Like Steph and Jimmer before her, Caitlin Clark is a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience ESPN recently announced that this was its most-watched women’s college basketball regular …

10 months, 2 weeks ago

Meet Grace Beyer, the small-school scoring phenom Iowa star Caitlin Clark might never catch

Associated Press

On the same night Caitlin Clark was adding to her NCAA women’s basketball scoring record before a packed house in Indiana, and a national audience on television, the Iowa sensation was losing ground to the most prolific active scorer in her sport. Beyer added another 32 points on Saturday in a win over Hannibal-LaGrange, breaking Miriam Walker-Samuels’ record for an …

10 months, 2 weeks ago

Big Ten announces women’s basketball tournament sellout, expects 5-day attendance of 109,000

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark can claim another off-the-court feat: The Big Ten women’s basketball tournament has sold out in advance for the first time in the history of the event. The conference announced Friday that it expects a five-day attendance total of more than 109,000 at Target Center, where the previous record was set last year at 47,923. The proximity …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark wants more focus on team during final stretch now that NCAA record is broken

Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — More scoring records are in sight for Caitlin Clark, but right now the Iowa superstar is looking forward to a break from the chase. Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said it was a relief to have Clark’s pursuit of the NCAA record end. But at the same time, it’s time now for us to really focus on …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

UConn, Iowa, Louisville and Tennessee to participate in Women’s Champions Classic

Associated Press

NEW YORK — UConn, Iowa, Louisville and Tennessee will take part in the inaugural Women’s Champions Classic on Dec. 7. “The Women’s Champions Classic is the next step in Fox Sports’ longstanding commitment to elevating women’s athletics, and we are eager to showcase these student-athletes at the highest level – in primetime on the Fox broadcast network,” said Executive Vice …

11 months, 1 week ago

Caitlin Clark and Iowa are drawing sold-out crowds, big ratings even on road. She says ‘it’s crazy’

Associated Press

Caitlin Clark has been a must-see attraction all season, with sold-out arenas where some tickets have gone for thousands of dollars on the secondary market. It’s crazy, it’s crazy the way people scream my name and really support us and I try to make time for as many of them as I can,” Clark said. “It’s been 30 years since …

1 year ago

After securing media rights deal for women’s college basketball, NCAA president must do even more

New York Times

The long-awaited media rights deal for women’s college basketball is here. With the momentum women’s basketball has captured in recent years and its broadcasting deal expiring at an opportune moment, coaches had made public pushes for the NCAA to put the women’s basketball media rights deal on the free market. Because while the ink might be dry on this contract, …

1 year ago

Content is still king: Landmark deal with ESPN to boost a broad range of NCAA sports

LA Times

LSU’s Angel Reese shoots during the second half of the NCAA Women’s Final Four championship basketball game against Iowa on April 2, 2023, in Dallas. The agreement is worth roughly three times the annual value of the current deal, and the NCAA said production and marketing costs assumed by ESPN would add another $25 million to $30 million per year. …

1 year ago

NCAA signs lucrative TV deal for championships, but keeps women’s basketball in bundle

New York Times

The NCAA on Thursday said it had reached an eight-year agreement with ESPN worth $115 million annually to televise 40 college sports championships each year, including the marquee Division I women’s basketball tournament that many people within college sports had hoped would be primed for even bigger returns given a wave of recent popularity. Ultimately, the NCAA and ESPN agreed …

1 year ago

What does the NCAA’s new media rights agreement mean for women’s college basketball?

New York Times

The NCAA on Thursday announced a new eight-year, $920 million media rights agreement with ESPN, a contract that will keep 40 championships bundled together through 2032. Pros: NCAA president Charlie Baker said the deal values women’s basketball at $65 million per year, about 10 times more as it is currently valued under its deal that ends with the 2023-24 season. …

1 year, 1 month ago

It’s a circus atmosphere when Caitlin Clark plays. The Iowa star is savoring every bit of it

Associated Press

ESTERO, Fla. — They start showing up an hour or more before games. “The way people have on our jerseys, the way people have on Iowa clothes, it’s just not the same for every other program,” Clark said. And when it was over, Mastadons coach Maria Marchesano acknowledged “it’s cool to be part of a game like this.” “You know, …

1 year, 2 months ago

An NCAA first as women’s basketball powers No. 6 South Carolina, No. 10 Notre Dame play in Paris

Associated Press

Women’s college basketball is starting big this year. “I think it’s pretty darn cool to be trendsetters,” said Dawn Staley, the South Carolina coach. That follows Iowa’s exhibition game, called the Crossover at Kinnick, where an NCAA single-game record 55,646 fans showed up to watch the first women’s game in an outdoor football stadium last month. “The fact that it’s …

1 year, 2 months ago

Transfer portal changes equation for women’s coaches, who used to build dynasties on prep recruits

Associated Press

Louisville coach Jeff Walz succinctly summed up how quickly the college basketball world has evolved over the last few years while his team was playing at the Seattle Regional last spring. Women’s basketball players, unlike their male counterparts, usually stay for four years in college so landing a top recruiting class often meant it was easier to stay atop the …

1 year, 2 months ago

After record season, women’s college basketball returns with stars Reese and Clark set for encore

Associated Press

Coming off a record year in terms of popularity and buzz, women’s college basketball is back with even more intrigue. Defending champion LSU has reloaded behind Angel Reese for a run at back-to-back national titles while Iowa’s Caitlin Clark returns with the NCAA scoring record in her reach. Clark, last season’s AP player of the year, is 810 points away …

1 year, 2 months ago

Caitlin Clark’s production and panache make her a women’s basketball ambassador, a role she embraces

Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Her likeness was sculptured out of butter at the state fair and a tribute to her was a highlight for an Iowa marching band football halftime show. “Caitlin has a little bit more attention,” Bluder said, “but when her light shines, it shines on everybody in that locker room, so let’s all enjoy it.” Gabbie Marshall …

1 year, 2 months ago

Clark’s triple-double highlights game at Kinnick. Women’s basketball record crowd of 55,646 shows up

Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Lisa Bluder’s idea turned into history. “It’s hard to kind of imagine yourself playing basketball in front of 55,000.” Bluder’s idea for an outdoor game came to her when 9,000 fans showed up for a campus celebration for the Hawkeyes in April upon return from their NCAA championship game against LSU. The wind took that one, …

1 year, 2 months ago

Caitlin Clark and Iowa women’s basketball set attendance record with game at Kinnick Stadium

New York Times

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Lisa Bluder jogged toward the Kinnick Stadium home locker room and stopped every few seconds for a quick hug and a photo. At a 94-year-old football stadium on a brisk and blustery Sunday afternoon, the Iowa women’s basketball team and their counterparts from DePaul made history. “When I first started, I probably played in front of …

1 year, 3 months ago

Iowa women’s basketball enjoys big surge in popularity with run to title game and Clark’s return

Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Playing in a national championship game that attracted a record television audience and bringing back the star player who transcends the sport has taken Iowa women’s basketball to unprecedented levels of popularity in the state. A record 13,000 season tickets have been sold for 2023-24 — nearly twice the previous record and 5,000 more than the …

1 year, 5 months ago

Iowa aims for the women’s basketball attendance record at Kinnick in preseason game with DePaul

Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa will attempt to set the all-time women’s basketball attendance record when it hosts DePaul in an outdoor exhibition at 69,000-seat Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 15, the school announced Thursday. The women’s basketball attendance record of 29,619 was set in the 2002 national title game between Connecticut and Oklahoma in San Antonio’s Alamodome. The Hawkeyes were …

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1 day, 7 hours ago