Last year was a big one for women’s sports and it seems that 2021 is going to be even bigger. ESPN just saw the WNBA Finals bring in the most viewers the event has had since 2017. Now women’s college basketball is feeling some love too.
The season opened on ESPN with a top 5 matchup between #1 South Carolina and #5 North Carolina State. It was the most-watched season opener for women’s basketball since 2013.
Viewership peaked at nearly 700,000. The game averaged 506,000. That represents a whopping 179% increase over last year’s season opener.
No one is saying that the WNBA and women’s basketball are set to dethrone the NBA and men’s college hoops respectively. You cannot ignore growth though. Right now, women’s basketball is growing.
ESPN drew more than 4 million viewers to last year’s national championship game between Stanford and Arizona. That was the most viewers for the event since 2013. If Tuesday’s results are the beginning of a trend, ESPN has plenty of reason to be optimistic about the sport this season too.
