Women’s basketball has finally captured the long-deserved spotlight

QUINN NEWHOUSE SPORTS EDITOR

41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

With a more boring and less star-studded Men’s March Madness than usual this year, something shifted in the world of sports. The comments on an ESPN post showcasing Caitlin Clark’s 41 point triple-double in the Elite Eight, the oft-sexist comments were a lot more, well, normal. “That girl can BALL!” the top comment said. The one below read “She changing women’s basketball forever.” The comments were not just treating her like a male athlete — they were treating her like a legend.

For many, this change in behavior feels like a real 180-degree turn from the past. When ESPN posted any women’s sports clips, comments read spiteful and hateful remarks. Comments like “make a sandwich instead” or “go clean the dishes” would get tens of thousands of likes under these posts. With all the strides we’ve made in pop culture to push progressively, the hetero-white-male dominated sports landscape fought on the hill of keeping sports exclusively male, exclusively straight, like “the good ol’ days.”

But something clearly changed. Clark was getting revered. Scrolling down further, not a single negative comment could be found on posts about Clark. The often bigoted sports bros have changed their tune. As the men’s tournament got increasingly less marketable (A final four with Florida Atlantic and San Diego State does not do well for ratings), Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes became the team to watch. Cruising into the championship and scoring 155 points through the first four games of the tournament, Clark had captivated the sports world at the perfect time. It only got better.

Iowa was now to face Louisiana State in the finals.

Led by star Angel Reese, the two teams were marketed nearly more than the men’s

Final Four. The game didn’t disappoint- LSU won in a even batted an eye. When the men’s tournament failed to the most viewed women’s basketball game EVER with 12.6 million viewers. Even more impressive, it was the most streamed game in ESPN+ HISTORY, including all men’s sports.

The energy has shifted. It feels as if the lingering bigotry in sports was finally slain by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. It’s not just on the court either. Analysts like Mina Kimes and Jamie Erdahl, who not even five years ago would be faced with mountains of sexist remarks, currently rule daytime ESPN shows. 2023 is going to be looked back upon as one of the pivotal years for the popularity and recognition of women’s sports, and as far as the coming seasons go, it’s truly only up from here for women’s hoops. Clark and Reese have built the perfect platform for the WNBA to build on, and it’s clear the fans want to see the success