Caitlin Clark’s final college basketball season became a spectacle, drawing record-breaking audiences and solidifying her as a torchbearer for women’s sports. Named Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year, Clark’s influence transcended the court, igniting immense interest in women’s basketball.

Her 2023 NCAA Championship showdown against LSU’s Angel Reese drew 9.9 million viewers, setting the stage for what was to come. In 2024, the much-anticipated Iowa vs. LSU rematch garnered 12.3 million viewers during the Elite Eight. That momentum carried into the Final Four, where nearly 14 million viewers tuned in to watch her clash with UConn’s Paige Bueckers.

Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes ultimately faced South Carolina in the championship game, amassing an astonishing 18.9 million viewers, making it one of the top 100 broadcasts of the year according to Nielsen. This surpassed major events like the MLB World Series featuring Shohei Ohtani, the Paris Olympics, and the Grammy Awards.

Caitlin Clark: A Rising Force in Sports

Even more impressive, her numbers eclipsed the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. LeBron James and Steph Curry’s Christmas Day matchup also fell short compared to Clark’s appeal. Now a WNBA sensation with the Indiana Fever, her debut season continued to outperform NBA regular-season viewership, underscoring her draw as a superstar.

This “Caitlin Clark Effect” promises a brighter future for the WNBA as it seeks to capture global audiences, with hopes of hosting overseas games. Clark is proving that her influence isn’t just a moment but a movement poised to reshape the landscape of sports viewership.