Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese — Can 2025 Season of Women’s Basketball Match the Magic We Felt This Year?

The spotlight that dazzled women’s sports in 2024 may prove fleeting — or it could be the dawn of a golden era set to shine well into the next decade. The real test lies just around the corner when the 2025 women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament features a fresh wave of collegiate standouts, and Caitlin Clark’s WNBA journey enters its much-anticipated sequel.No story captured the imagination of the sports world in 2024 quite like the meteoric rise of women’s basketball. Now, the question looms: will this surge of interest continue, or will it flicker under the weight of expectation? The answer should unfold in the months ahead.Ms. Clark was voted the Associated Female Athlete of the Year. It is a well-deserved honor. Last spring, she captured the nation’s attention while setting an NCAA career scoring record. In March she led Iowa back to the women’s national championship game, which for the first time attracted more television viewers than the men’s basketball final.A month later, Ms. Clark became the first overall pick of the Indiana Fever and embarked on a rookie season where the WNBA shattered records for attendance and television viewership.Everything points toward the WNBA capitalizing on its unprecedented growth in popularity. Mid-way through the season, the league signed a new $2 billion media rights deal, covering the next 11 years. There also are plans for expansion. Only a new collective bargaining agreement must be negotiated and will games not involving Ms. Clark still draw eyeballs? Also, fans could be turned off by the league’s inner struggle to accept the attention Ms. Clark receives amid calls for other players past and present to be recognized.What’s certain is Ms. Clark, whose economic impact on the WNBA and Indianapolis was estimated at $36 million, was big business in 2024 and should continue to be in 2025.More uncertain is the viewership of the upcoming women’s NCAA Tournament. Having lost stars like Ms. Clark and Angel Reese to the WNBA, new collegiate stars are emerging ahead of March Madness. A sophomore guard from USC, JuJu Watkins, and a former national player of the year, Paige Bueckers of UConn, entered the season as the two most heralded players. A crowd of 15,684 attended when Ms. Watkins scored 25 points, while Ms. Bueckers scored 22 in USC’s dramatic 72-70 win on December 21 at the XL Center at Hartford, Connecticut.According to Fox Sports, the showdown attracted 2.2 million viewers, making it the second most-watched women’s college basketball game ever on FOX and the highest-rated WCBB game this season.The most-viewed women’s college basketball game in FOX history was last season when 3.4 million viewers watched Ms. Clark set the NCAA Division 1 record for most career points scored against Ohio State.“I’m happy we can put two players on the floor that the whole country is familiar with and wants to see play well,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said after the game. “They both have their unique styles of playing.”Mr. Auriemma still remembers the days when about 100 people were in the stands. “To drive here and know there was going to be 16,000 people here plus the game on national television doesn’t seem like we’re talking about the same universe,” he said. “But this is where we are today.”Other players worthy of the collegiate spotlight include Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson, who leads the nation in scoring averaging 27.2 points a game, and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, who is second at 25.8. Ms. Watkins averages 24.8 and Ms. Bueckers, 20.8. None may equal the popularity of Ms. Clark.She is only the fourth women’s basketball player to be honored as the AP female athlete of the year, joining Sheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995), and Candace Parker (2008, 2021).She was voted the WNBA Rookie of the Year and All-WNBA confirming the Caitlin Clark effect wasn’t just off the court.“I grew up a fan of Candace Parker and the people who came before me and to be honored in this way, is super special and I’m thankful,” Ms. Clark told the Associated Press in a phone interview. “It was a great year for women’s basketball and women’s sports.” It was a good year for sports in general. The Los Angeles Dodgers waxed the New York Yankees in five games of a much-hyped and viewed World Series. The Kansas City Chiefs won back-to-back Super Bowls and now chase a three-peat. The Florida Panthers broke through in the National Hockey League. The Boston Celtics claimed their 18th NBA Championship, and Scottie Schefter dominated the world of professional golf and won a gold medal.The Paris Olympics added some spice and patriotism during the summer, while Max Verstappen won another world-driving championship in Formula 1, and Lionel Messi posted a memorable season for Major League Soccer and his Argentine National Team.Sports should be just as compelling in 2025. Super Bowl LIX is February 9 at New Orleans where the Chiefs hope to pull off an historic three-peat. The 2025 NFL Draft is at historic Lambeau Field at Green Bay on April 24 to 26. Wrestlemania 41 takes place April 19-20 at Allegiant Stadium at Las Vegas. A very loud Ryder Cup will be played at Bethpage Black on Long Island. College athletics will continue its biggest transformation in its history. Juan Soto takes the outfield for the New York Mets after signing a $756 million contract, and women’s sports will look to build off its momentum from 2024.

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese — Can 2025 Season of Women’s Basketball Match the Magic We Felt This Year?

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