Women’s Basketball Goes Supernova
When asked to name any college athlete, over 90% (46/50) of Riverdale students named a female athlete: Caitlin Clark. Throughout her four college seasons at Iowa, Clark became the most influential athlete in women’s college basketball; however, this year truly marks a shift in the way all of women’s sports are perceived by audiences. According to NCAA.org, the No. 1 seed game between Iowa and South Carolina drew more viewers than the men’s championship game for the first time in history. The game peaked at just over 24 million views, making the game the most watched college basketball game since 2019 for women or men. Junior Talya Benadrete, a devoted member of Riverdale girls’ varsity basketball (GVB) team, claims that her dad would rather “tune into one of Caitlin Clark’s games” than watch a “men’s NCAA game occurring at the same time.” Caitlin Clark’s “buzz effect,” according to Benadrete, is so “extraordinary” that it is almost impossible to hold back from watching every minute of her play.
In addition, leader of Women in Sports and upcoming captain of GVB, junior Mekayla Gavin, noted that the cheapest women’s ticket at the NCAA championship game sold for “way more” than the men’s cheapest ticket. Thus, Clark has been able to bolster visibility and revenue for women’s Division 1 Basketball, a truly exceptional accomplishment.
On February 15, 2024, Caitlin Clark broke a highly coveted record. During Iowa’s game against Ohio State, Caitlin Clark surpassed “Pistol Pete” Maravich’s 54 year old record of 3,667 career points. Thus, Clark became the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader for both men and women, an astounding achievement.
Clark’s ability to shoot 3-pointers from, as GVB coach Andie Jenson claims, “Steph Curry range” is easily recognizable and demonstrates her talent for the game. GVB stars, ninth-grader Annie Rosenshine and junior Margot Michel, explain that Clark simply “does what no one else can do” and goes “above and beyond.”
Alongside Clark and her outstanding achievements, other women’s college basketball players have risen in tandem with Clark. Since Clark has been able to “even out the playing field,” as Benadrete explains, stars like Cameron Brink, Paige Bueckers, and Juju Watkins have all become household names when talking about college basketball. Likewise, as Upper School History teacher and “forever” fan of women’s college basketball, Dr. Manko puts it, the game has just gotten “so much better,” especially when compared to 15 years ago, it is almost “unrecognizable.”
A parallel trend is noticeable in the WNBA as well. ESPN reports that on the 2024 WNBA draft night on April 15th also reached a milestone in viewership. More than 3 million viewers tuned into draft night, anxiously awaiting to see what Clark’s and other players’ futures had in store for them. This was four times as many watchers as the 2023 WNBA draft. Thus, as Gavin argues, more “young female athletes” are going to be “inspired” to play women’s basketball. And, as Rosenshine puts it, this new “era” will be a chance for women to finally earn “the money that they deserve.” Likewise, Benadrete believes that with time more previous “norms” of how women’s sports are treated, will continue to become “broken.”
As Caitlin Clark and other talented young women make their way into the WNBA, women’s sports will continue to be viewed in a more positive light. It is undeniably true that women possess talent and work ethics that are equal to mens’. It is unfortunate that it took almost 40 years for many viewers to see this; however, as Dr. Manko says, we are all watching “history in the making,” and this is only the beginning.
As for the Riverdale community, female athletes feel, according to Benadrete, “motivated by Clark.” Female athletes believe that it is now well within reach to “achieve greatness” and “change the way they’re perceived.” Caitlin Clark’s impact on women’s sports will influence generations to come.
