South Carolina, Caitlin Clark, and the ongoing rise of women鈥檚 sports
-
Ken Makin Cultural commentator
Before South Carolina women鈥檚 coach Dawn Staley won her third national title on Sunday afternoon, and before Iowa鈥檚 Caitlin Clark took women鈥檚 college basketball by storm, there was a cultural shift in how the world viewed female athletes. The best way to describe that change in perception could be found in a four-word phrase on various types of apparel: 鈥淓veryone watches women鈥檚 sports.鈥�
I attended one of South Carolina鈥檚 38 wins that constituted its undefeated campaign 鈥� the 10th in the sport鈥檚 history. It was perhaps the most stressful of the lot and came down to the final shot 鈥� a stunning three-pointer by Kamilla Cardoso at the buzzer. The exultation reminded me of some of my favorite moments in women鈥檚 sports.
Last year鈥檚 Final Four matchups between Iowa and South Carolina, and between Louisiana State University and Virginia Tech were a commercial revelation that put the sport on the map. This year鈥檚 Final Four matchups were the sequel that delivered beyond anyone鈥檚 wildest dreams,聽including a women鈥檚 viewership 聽for the championship game. This came days after Iowa鈥檚 matchup with traditional power聽University of Connecticut had set its own record ( of any kind) with 14.2 million viewers.
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onThe excitement around Sunday鈥檚 Final Four championship pitted an undefeated powerhouse against an Iowa star who captivated the United States. But it was also about a long and steady growth of respect for women athletes.
The Iowa-South Carolina matchup wasn鈥檛 just a rematch but also an opportunity for redemption. At the center of the game were the sports鈥� two biggest figures 鈥� Ms. Staley and Ms. Clark. It seems inadequate now to ask who鈥檚 the epicenter, the 鈥淕OAT鈥� or greatest of all time. Ms. Staley won and did the familiar 鈥� uplift the game and its participants.
鈥淚 want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport, and it just is not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, she鈥檚 going to lift that league up as well,鈥� Ms. Staley said. 鈥淪o Caitlin Clark, if you鈥檙e out there, you are one of the GOATs of our game. We appreciate you.鈥�
The Lady Gamecocks鈥� mode of operation? Leading with love. It鈥檚 why their journey back to the Final Four was a redemption tour and not a revenge-filled run after last year鈥檚 loss to Iowa. Sophomore guard Raven Johnson, who was famously by Ms. Clark the year before, was one of Sunday鈥檚 heroes for her defense on the Iowa star. First-year players such as MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson sparked the team in the final game, clearly motivated to win it for the 鈥渇reshies鈥� 鈥� the acclaimed 2019 freshman class聽led by former Lady Gamecock Aliyah Boston that took the program to untold heights before graduating last year.
Where does the game go from here? The seasonlong celebration around Ms. Clark is a guide. When Ms. Clark broke the Division I scoring record in Iowa鈥檚 season finale against Ohio State, casual observers learned about the exploits of players such as Lynette Woodard and Pearl Moore. Ms. Woodard, who formerly held the all-time Division I women鈥檚 scoring record, was a gold medal-winning Olympian and the first female Harlem Globetrotter. Ms. Moore, a native South Carolinian, scored more than 4,000 points during a career at a smaller college, before women entered the NCAA. One might wonder what would have been had she been born during Ms. Staley鈥檚 era of recruiting.
Ms. Clark鈥檚聽childhood聽idol? Maya Moore, the former University of Connecticut and Minnesota Lynx great whose passion for social activism was on par with her basketball talents. During her playing career, she brought attention to police brutality and wrongfully detained people, years before George Floyd鈥檚 murder and Black Lives Matter galvanized the United States.
Women鈥檚 sports has been a case study in rewriting narratives about viability and visibility. In August 2023, just over 92,000 people attended a volleyball game at the University of Nebraska, a record-breaking feat in female sport attendance. The NCAA published a about the 鈥淐aitlin Clark effect鈥� in late February, but it鈥檚 important to remember the presence of another polarizing athlete, LSU鈥檚 Angel Reese, who bested Ms. Clark in last year鈥檚 NCAA final. Ms. Reese鈥檚 postgame press conference after her team lost to Iowa this year, where she tearfully discussed how she had been 鈥渟exualized鈥� and mistreated, was a reminder of how race-based narratives can be good for business and bad for humanity.
Nevertheless, women in sports have persevered, and have carried themselves with such power and grace that they have demanded the respect of sports media and colleagues alike. At this hour, there may be no greater ambassador and defender of the game than Ms. Staley. The afternoon before the title game, she was asked about her views on transgender players in women鈥檚 sports. Her response was inclusive of transgender players and a rebuke to trollish聽online commentators: 鈥淪o now the barnstormer people are going to flood my [social media] timeline and be a distraction to me on one of the biggest days of our game, and I鈥檓 OK with that. I really am.鈥�
That stern picture was juxtaposed with pure bliss after Ms. Staley allowed herself to be consumed in pink confetti just minutes after her team avenged last season鈥檚 heartbreaking loss. Her team鈥檚 relentless rotations, her words of affirmation, and a willingness to be a spokesperson for the game upheld a familiar basketball adage: Defense wins championships.
Editor鈥檚 note: This article was updated to include viewership numbers from the championship game.
