A Record-Breaking Moment: The South Carolina-Iowa Championship Proves Women’s Sports Are Here to Stay

Cleveland — As was to be anticipated after South Carolina’s women’s basketball team defeated Iowa 87-75 to win its second national championship in three years, everyone wanted to talk about the game. Dawn Staley, though, was also itching to discuss the other game. That is actually not powerful enough. She intended to talk about it.

Basketball has played such an important role in her life that she protects it as fiercely as a mother would a newborn. Her love for it is matched only by her respect for it. So even as questioners asked about the Gamecocks becoming just the 10th team in NCAA Division I history to finish a season undefeated, going 38-0, Staley purposely turned the spotlight back to the person who was central in helping to make this a transformative season and inflection point in the game’s evolution.

“I don’t want to not utilize this opportunity to thank Caitlin (Clark) for what she’s done for women’s basketball,” she said of the Iowa guard whose transcendent play helped drive record viewership numbers. “Her shoulders were heavy and getting a lot of eyeballs on our game. And sometimes as a young person, it can be a bit much. But I thought she handled it with class. I hope that every step of the ladder of success that she goes, she’s able to elevate whatever room she’s in.”

Staley had climbed to the top of a ladder in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse just minutes before. After cutting the last of the polyester threads from the net, she wrapped it around her neck. She then turned to face the fans and waved.

As I later listened to her describe her feelings, Maya Angelou’s words came to mind: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

For me, that encapsulates the women’s basketball season of 2023–2024. I am sure I will forget in years to come Clark’s career scoring total, the number of games South Carolina won, Kim Mulkey’s constant rage, and the players that were part of the moving screen during the UConn-Iowa national semifinal. However, the sense of accomplishment I felt watching the sport mature will always remain with me.

Dynasty?

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— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 7, 2024

Women’s basketball was ignored for many years by the public and broadcast partners, who essentially put it on the kids’ table. Though heard, the requests for decency were unanswered. However, this season was distinct. With the record-breaking audience brought in by Clark’s brilliance, the elite play of South Carolina, Iowa, UConn, LSU, and other teams, as well as the plots and rivalry matches that ignited social media, the women no longer begged for respect—rather, they demanded it.

What progress has the game made? In 1988 and 1989, Tacoma, Washington hosted the Final Four; however, the local newspaper did not send any of its best sportswriters to cover the game. It dispatched a humble village news reporter who had never worked a big-time athletic event. That individual was me, so I know.

After witnessing the intensity of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt’s piercing blue eyes, the playmaking of Penny Toler of Long Beach State, the generalship of Jennifer Azzi of Stanford, the consistency of Bridgette Gordon of Tennessee, and the promise of Venus Lacy of Louisiana Tech, I was surprised there was not more interest. However, when broadcast rights are sold to a cable source that treats you like an afterthought, it is difficult to get traction.

ESPN ought to feel guilty about that. The truth is that it does not deserve to have the newest and greatest sporting equipment that it does. This year, more people watched the women’s game than the World Series, NBA Finals, college football playoffs, you name it. And while a drop-off seems possible given Clark’s departure for the WNBA, it appears unlikely that it will be substantial.

The reason is the abundance of elite teams and playmaking young talent, such as Hannah Hildago of Notre Dame, who was a must-see on television, JuJu Watkins of USC, who ranked second in the nation in scoring, and Tessa Johnson and Milaysia Fulwiley of South Carolina, freshmen who recently helped the Gamecocks win their third national championship in franchise history. Then there is senior guard Paige Bueckers, who won national player of the year last season after leading Connecticut to the Final Four.

“I just want our game to grow. I don’t care if it’s us. I don’t if it’s Caitlin. I don’t care if it’s JuJu or Hannah,” Staley said. “I just want our games to grow, no matter who it is. Because there’s a lot of people that are out there growing our game, a lot of programs out there growing our game. We need to continue to uplift them as well, as we take our game to the next level.”

We will have plenty of time to talk about the symbolic passing of the baton. On Sunday, however, the focus was on honoring those who, if not the ones who started this, certainly contributed to the momentum that previous seasons had built. Furthermore, Clark was in the lead.

She thought about the things she will cherish and remember most before leaving the dais for the last time as a college player: her coaches, her teammates, and her support both inside and outside the program. She will also be quite proud and satisfied with herself for having contributed to the women’s game becoming the talk of the town.

“When I think about women’s basketball going forward, obviously it’s just going to continue to grow, whether it’s at the WNBA level, whether it’s at the college level,” Clark said. “Everybody sees it. Everybody knows. Everybody sees the viewership numbers. When you’re given an opportunity, women’s sports just kind of thrives. I think that’s been the coolest thing for me on this journey. We started our season playing in front of 55,000 people in Kinnick Stadium, and now we’re ending it playing in (front of) probably 15 million people or more on TV. It just continues to get better and better. That’s never going to stop.”

(Photo of Dawn Staley: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)