Women’s Basketball has been hot in the news, with many teams all around the country garnering an increased amount of support and interest in star players and games.
Will Simonds, a sports editor for Annenberg Media, has found reporting on the court this season has been especially exciting, with standout performances from Caitlin Clark and the powerhouse that is South Carolina’s women’s basketball team.
Will Simonds: There’s definitely been like a few different moments where it’s like, okay, this team, you know, has what it takes to make a deep run. And really, across the country, there have been a lot of intriguing storylines definitely sort of, you know, having a lot of really good teams in the Pac 12.
Simonds saw firsthand how star players such as Cameron Brink, Lauren Betts and Camilla Cardoso gained media attention for their talents on the court. The audience witnessed each players highs and lows in each game, creating more anticipation throughout the season.
Simonds: There’s a lot of really good players that are getting headlines... And I think having those storylines that are kind of building up over a number of years, I think it’s definitely helped the woman’s game.
Like Simonds, Connor Qiu, a sophomore studying Quantitative Biology, felt the passion on the court this season for women’s basketball. He shared the same sentiment for the crucial players that shaped this years stellar bracket for women’s March Madness.
Connor Qiu: I think Women’s Basketball has sort of started to develop like actual characters and individual people that you can follow. And I think that’s been really big instead of just like teams and schools. There’s actually like, these big characters like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and like, Angela Reese, and all these other people that are like good players, but also like good personalities, and I think it’s gained a lot of traction with fans.
This increase in interest has also translated into ticket prices as well. According to Forbes, the ticket prices for the women’s semifinal tournament saw a 190% increase from last year’s average price. Additionally, the average price for the women’s national championship tripled the cost of last year.
At USC, Trojans have also expressed their support for the media frenzy surrounding women’s basketball.
Jinny Kim, a sophomore studying Journalism, noted how players such as star Trojan player JuJu Watkins could be credited for the women’s basketball team gaining popularity.
Jinny Kim: There’s been lot more noise for women’s basketball, which I’m really happy about. I think in previous years, there’s been more focus on not just men’s basketball, but just men’s sports in general. So I’m happy to see that there’s more hype and energy for the women’s basketball team.
Robin Ryu, a sophomore studying Computer Engineering and Computer Science, also felt that this season’s women’s basketball games had a lot more energy and support.
Robin Ryu: I will definitely say the woman’s is like way more hype. There’s a lot of superstars this year. And there’s just so much competition going on.
Women’s basketball has been overlooked for a while, but this season, they finally got the same or more recognition than men’s basketball did across the country. Although it’s the end of the season for Trojans, but USC is looking forward to next year.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Yeji Jong.