Iowa/South Carolina Draws Record-Shattering Number For Championship Game

If you watched the Women's National Championship Game, you certainly weren't alone.

Since 2019, the championship game—which saw South Carolina defeat Iowa and Caitlin Clark—was the most watched basketball game across all platforms, including collegiate and professional.

According to ESPN, the Iowa vs. UConn semifinals last week broke attendance records as well, with a peak of 17 million viewers.

The deals for women's sports, as well as the interest from celebrities and private investors, have lifted women's sports valuations to all-time highs.

Players like Clark, who have been compared to some of the best basketball players of all time, have contributed to the increase by igniting interest in the sport and drawing in new fans. The 22-year-old Clark has attracted more followers with the "Caitlin Clark Effect" by dominating the court and breaking multiple records.

The National Championship game was a matchup between the top-2 teams in women's college basketball and the game itself did not disappoint. Heck, it got started by Caitlin Clark scoring 18 first-quarter points to get the game started!

According to ESPN, the game had a peak viewership of 24 million and was the most-watched NCAA women's collegiate basketball match since 1992. According to ESPN, viewership increased by 89% from the women's championship last year and by 285% from 2022.

• To put things in perspective, the South Carolina-Iowa game drew an average audience larger than all of the following:
• Every men's college basketball match since Texas Tech and Virginia's 2019
• National Championship
• Every NBA game since the NBA Finals in 2017
• Every NHL game ever played (for American viewers only)
• Every MLB game played since the 2019 World Series