Women’s College Basketball March Madness has been on another planet this year, exceeding all expectations and gaining popularity it never had before.
The number of people tuning in for the last 3 games of the tournament each broke the record for most watched college women’s basketball game, with an average of 12.3, 14.2, and 18.7 million viewers respectively. Even some of the greats in basketball have praised the women’s tournament this year, such as Shaquille O’Neill, who commented that he isn’t impressed by the men this year and has instead opted only to watch the women’s tournament.
This makes choosing an MVP for this year’s season a challenging undertaking, as so many women have been outstanding in their performance and have captured the growing audience’s attention. Honorable mentions include Paige Buekers of UConn, Angel Reese of Louisiana State University, and Kamilla Cardoso of South Carolina, the winning team of the national championship and newfound, undefeated dynasty under head coach Dawn Staley.
With all of these incredible teams and players in mind, I would like to highlight my MVP of Women’s March Madness this year, Clark of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. No one player has single-handedly done more for the sport of Women’s Basketball than Caitlin Clark. She has broken countless records in scoring and assisting and received prestigious awards, such as the Naismith Trophy.
This undoubtedly proves that Clark can play incredibly well, but even more importantly, she has brought fans, popularity, and viewership to her sport. Beginning with the loyal Hawkeyes fans at home, she draws huge crowds everywhere she goes, increasing ticket prices, even for Indiana Fever games, her prospective WNBA team for next season. She has earned more Name, Image, and Likeness money than any college basketball player with her brand and sponsorships. She has brought incredible attention to women’s basketball throughout her college career, demonstrating how captivating women’s sports can be and inspiring kids and adults alike as an impactful and passionate role model. She has controlled the narrative of women’s basketball this year and, while some debate her status as the greatest of the all time, to me, the way she has grown and drastically changed women’s basketball cements her legacy into the history of the game, even without a national title.
Even more, everything that Clark has accomplished would not have been possible without her teammates by her side. If you know Clark, you should also know “Team Captain” and “The Glue” Kate Martin, “Happy” Hannah Stuelke, “The Spark” and killer defense of Gabbie Marshall, “The Headband” Molly Davis, and the junior year game changer, Sydney Affolter. I have never witnessed a more supportive, connected, or hard-working team of women who always put each other first and who are friends on and off the court. The environment and community that the University of Iowa Women’s Basketball program has created is strong and one of a kind. I couldn’t pick a better team
