• Loading stock data...
Monday, October 27, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

Caitlin Clark Effect: Lasting Impact on Women’s College Hoops Viewership?

Last year’s women’s basketball championship game was the first to draw more viewers than the men’s title game—and the momentum has carried over.

South Bend Tribune

With the Super Bowl in the rearview, the sports calendar now shifts to March Madness. While the men’s tournament has traditionally been the main attraction, the women’s game sprung into focus after last year’s championship game outdrew the men’s by more than four million viewers.

Caitlin Clark was undoubtedly the biggest part of that growth, together with the rest of the 2024 WNBA draft class that included Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. But while there will be clear viewership drops in the NCAA with the departure of Clark, there also appears to be a lasting net positive effect.

So far this year, viewership of NCAA women’s basketball games on ESPN platforms is averaging 234,000, down 18% versus the same point last year. However, it is up 17% relative to the 2022–2023 season, Clark’s junior year. 

Fox is averaging 699,000 viewers for its games this year, down 24% versus last year, but up 4% over the 2022–2023 season and 18% over the 2021–2022 season. 

This trend is similar to Clark’s effect in the WNBA. The two playoff games with the Indiana Fever averaged 2.2 million viewers, though the entire postseason averaged just 1.1 million. However, that overall number is still up 139% versus total playoff viewership from the previous year.

Last year’s NCAA tournament turned more eyes toward other stars who stayed in college, in particular UConn’s Paige Bueckers. The Final Four game between the Huskies and Hawkeyes averaged 14.2 million viewers, which nearly matched the viewership of the men’s championship game.

USC’s JuJu Watkins also rose to prominence last year as a star freshman despite not facing Clark in the tournament. This year’s most-watched women’s college basketball game was on Dec. 21 between Bueckers’s Huskies and Watkins’s Trojans, which averaged 2.22 million viewers on Fox. It’s the second-most-watched women’s college basketball game ever on Fox.

The most-watched game was last year between Iowa and Ohio State (3.39 million viewers) when Clark broke the NCAA’s all-time scoring record for both men and women.

UConn has been in two of the five most-watched NCAA games this year on ESPN. At least one of South Carolina and LSU, both schools that were also in the path of Iowa and have established themselves as powerhouses in the college game, were involved in the other three games.

WNBA Next Steps

Bueckers is widely projected to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA draft. The combo guard is one of the leading names in the late midseason top 20 list for the Wooden Award. Other potential 2025 draftees included on the list are Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore and TCU’s Hailey Van Lith.

Though March Madness is around the corner, these names will be in the pros in about three months due to the odd women’s basketball calendar. Last year’s WNBA draft was just eight days after the national title game, and the start of the season was a month later.

One player who won’t be in the 2025 WNBA draft is UCLA’s Lauren Betts. The 6-foot-7 center is the star of the No. 1 team in the nation and could have been a top-five pick this year. But she confirmed late last week that she’ll return for her senior season with the Bruins.

“College is the best years of your life, and so I don’t think I’d ever give that up,” Betts said.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

LSU Ends Brian Kelly Era, $53M Buyout Negotiations Underway

The Tigers fell to 5–3 after losing to Texas A&M.

CFB Revenue Era’s New Powers: Indiana, Georgia Tech, and Vandy

Indiana is the most notable, having ascended to No. 2.

Sarkisian, Kiffin Address Rumors As Coaching Carousel Spins Again

Reports are rampant about the coaches taking new jobs.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.

Featured Today

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
October 18, 2025

How Vanderbilt Went From SEC Doormat to Dark Horse CFP Candidate

After beating LSU, Clark Lea said: “Internally, we expect to win.”
Oct 11, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell after losing the game to the Pittsburgh Panthers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.
October 23, 2025

CFB’s Chaotic (and Pricey) Coaching Carousel Only Getting Started

Firings have already accounted for roughly $116 million.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (2) celebrates following the game between Vanderbilt University and Louisiana State University at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025
exclusive
October 24, 2025

Diego Pavia Is Trying to Kill NCAA JUCO Eligibility Rules for Good

Vandy’s QB is amending his own lawsuit to encompass all NCAA athletes.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

Fans can now follow their favorite golfers and experience every marquee moment at the Ryder Cup — thanks to innovation from T-Mobile.
Jun 10, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; A NCAA logo flag at the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.
October 23, 2025

College Athletes Can Bet on Pro Sports Starting in November

An NBA player and coach were charged Thursday in a sports betting investigation.
Tony Vitello
October 22, 2025

Tony Vitello’s Stunning MLB Jump Comes With $3M Tennessee Buyout

Vitello heads to San Francisco after winning a national championship in 2024.
Texas Tech tortillas
October 22, 2025

Texas Tech Is Attempting a Tortilla Crackdown 

Rebellious students are known to smuggle the tortillas in their underwear.
Tom Izzo
October 22, 2025

Tom Izzo Rips ‘Ridiculous’ NCAA Move Allowing Former G Leaguers

Michigan State didn’t know an eligibility change had been made, he said.