The Rematch Of Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Had More Viewers Than The NBA Finals, Stanley Cup, And World Series
The numbers are in....last night's game between LSU and Iowa was historic from a television perspective.
12.3 million viewers. Certainly, the most-watched women's basketball game ever.
For those of you who aren't weirdly obsessed with TV ratings like I am....those are HUGE numbers. The type of numbers that professional sports leagues spend millions on marketing to get. All those leagues fail. That's the power of a star.
You have to go back to 2019 to find an NBA Finals with a higher average rating:
There has never been a Stanley Cup that has even come close:
And you have to go back to 2019 to find similar ratings for a World Series:
(Side note: it's not completely fair to compare as the three events I mention above all have 7 game series. Iowa-LSU is a one-game elimination, making it must-watch)
Of course, this doesn't compare to football ratings (nothing compares to football ratings)…or even Elite Eight ratings from the Men's tournament:
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However, we do have to mention that Duke-NC State happened on Easter Sunday on CBS…much different than a Monday night game on ESPN. Still, impressive ratings all around for college sports. This is on top of a HUGE CFP, which saw Alabama and Michigan average 28 million viewers.
The demise of college sports has been greatly overstated. Just a few years ago there was a narrative that Overtime Elite and G-League Ignite were going to ruin CBB…that did not happen. Now we are at the stage where everyone is questioning the impacts of NIL. I do think there's a chance college sports take a hit due to the dying nature of the regionality thanks to super conferences, but that is to be seen in the future. For now, the ratings for almost every single college sport is up and to the right.
It will be interesting to see the TV ratings come in for the Final Four on the Women's side. Paige Bueckers and UConn against Caitlin Clark is a BIG time matchup…..however, it is on a Friday night at 9:30 PM. Still should put up record-breaking numbers compared to years past. If Clark makes it to the championship game on Sunday afternoon on ABC, I wonder if she can "beat" the ratings that her and LSU put up. I would wager that game does not….but there's always a chance.