Caitlin Clark's gone, but women's college basketball continues to thrive

Mar. 22—Kelly LaFountain remembers how her conversations about women's basketball used to go with other people, not too long ago.

"I would say 'Hey, have you seen this women's game,' to maybe some guys or other people that I know," said LaFountain, the Mt. Ararat coach from 2000-13 and a UMaine player from 1984-89. "And they're like 'No, I don't watch women's basketball. They don't dunk.'"

She doesn't ask as much anymore. She doesn't have to.

"They ask me," she said. "'Did you watch the game?' 'Of course I did.' I think that people who love the game of basketball and watch the game of basketball religiously have really started to recognize that the women's game is exciting as well, just in a lot of different ways."

Women's basketball benefited from a surge of interest last year, as Iowa senior superstar Caitlin Clark's mix of prolific 3-point shooting and dazzling ball handling and passing made her a nationwide celebrity and drew hordes of viewers to television screens.

According to ESPN, the average of 18.9 million viewers for the national championship game between Iowa and South Carolina was the largest audience ever for a women's basketball game, and the largest overall for a basketball game — men's or women's, college or pro — in five years. BetMGM, according to Dave Forman of the American Gaming Association, said it was the most bet-on women's event, in any sport, of all time.

Clark has since left Iowa, but as the next women's tournament gets underway, the momentum hasn't stopped. According to Dan Margulis, the senior director of programming for ESPN, viewership of women's college basketball games is up 3% this year over last year, and up 41% from the 2022-23 season.

"We went in not fully knowing how we were going to do," Margulis said. "The interest in women's basketball has grown. We had 15 games over 500,000 (viewers), just a phenomenal year. ... With adults (ages) 18 to 34, we were up 27%. That's a really good sign."

It's music to the ears of women's basketball fans — people like LaFountain, who said she watches the sport "any chance I get."

"It's just amazing to me because back in the day, we didn't see all this," she said. "To see the growth is just incredible. ... They put out a really good product, and there are a lot of good basketball teams out there and a lot of great players. They've just raised the level of play so much."

University of Maine women's basketball coach Amy Vachon said the state has a history of supporting the women's game, and that it's encouraging to see the country following suit.

"That's great to hear. It's one of those things where I think sometimes people tune in to see one player or one team, and then they realize it's a really good product that they're watching, and they enjoy watching," she said. "I think it's getting people hooked to begin with, and then they'll continue watching.

"I think fans in Maine have been ahead of the curve. ... It's nice to see the rest of the country get up to speed as well."

Margulis said he wasn't worried about a post-Clark letdown, but that he was unsure what numbers would look like.

"I think we were curious," he said. "It was sort of a celestial event with Caitlin last year at the tournament. But we also looked at the non-Iowa games in the tournament, and there was still a 76% growth year over year in the tournament from the year before."

The numbers suggested the sport would thrive without Clark. It has, and Bowdoin women's coach Megan Phelps said it's because the game and its still impressive list of star players — Paige Bueckers for UConn, JuJu Watkins for USC, Hannah Hidalgo for Notre Dame — has enough to offer to keep them.

"One of the things Clark did was bring eyes to a sport that has already been exciting and filled with a lot of talent, that maybe didn't have as much investment into the promoting and the marketing," she said. "The talent has always been there. However eyes get on the product, it's a really good product. ... It's a fun style of basketball to watch. There are players who are shotmakers and take a lot of big shots and have big moments, but there's also great team basketball."

The women's game also adds an opportunity to follow players for a long period of time compared to the men's game, where the best players often leave after one season for the riches of the NBA.

"That's an issue in the men's game, is it becomes more about the brands and the coaches," Margulis said. "If (Clark) had that great sophomore year and went pro, that great story she had wouldn't have evolved, or the rivalry with Angel Reese or any of that stuff. That's a big advantage for women's basketball right now."

Women's basketball has also seen improved parity. While schools like Tennessee, UConn and Baylor dominated in prior seasons, the sport now features more competitiveness and more uncertainty regarding who will win.

"There are certain elements you have to have to gain audiences," Margulis said. "You need a star, maybe. You need a brand. You need a competitive game, you need an environment. ... If you can get a competitive game, they'll stay."

It's played out this season. The player that brought them there is gone, but the fans have stayed on board.

"People are amazed at what (Clark) was able to do at the college level and now at the professional level, so they're all looking for the next player," LaFountain said. "Who's going to be the next player that does that same type of thing?"

Improved viewership is just part of what's been going right for women's basketball. This season, for the first time, women's teams are receiving money for appearing and winning in the NCAA tournament, a perk that men's teams have enjoyed for years.

"It's a long time coming," Vachon said. "It's nice to see it's finally here."

Phelps agreed.

"It's huge, because with more eyes, more viewership, comes money," she said. "If people are going to be treating women's basketball as a business, you want to make sure the teams that are creating that business are getting compensated for the work that they're doing."

Phelps added that she's confident the momentum will continue.

"I feel great about it. The product has been there," she said. "Women's sports is a business that people should be investing in. I think they're starting to see that."

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