Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking stint with Iowa seems to be touching new heights every day. Now it has started giving the NBA Rookie of the Year favorite a run for his money. In his first season in the league, Victor Wembanyama has already established himself as a bona fide star in the country. However, the Iowa Hawkeyes star is eclipsing the numbers that Wemby is putting up.
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As per a recent report, Clark’s games are getting record viewership, even when compared to some major NBA clashes. This includes last year’s NBA Draft’s #1 pick, Wembanyama’s debut game. The Spurs rookie is supposed to be the next big thing in the league. Even before he was drafted, Wembanyama was a part of All-Time conversations in the NBA.
So, when the 7’4 rookie entered the league, 3.903 million tuned in to watch his first NBA game. The matchup against the Mavericks averaged 2.989 million viewers. Although this was a huge number in terms of viewership, that is largely credited to Wemby, recently, the Iowa vs Ohio State clash registered a staggering peak viewership of 4.42 million. The average viewership of the game was at an impressive 3.39 million.
The Iowa-Ohio State game on Sunday averaged 3.39 million viewers on Fox, per @paulsen_smw.
That makes it the most-watch regular season women’s college basketball game in 14+ years and it even outdrew ABC’s Warriors-Celtics game on the same day.
The Caitlin Clark effect is real. pic.twitter.com/5RIazJOMyw
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) March 5, 2024
The spike in interest for the women’s regular-season basketball game is a direct result of Clark’s recent record-breaking spree. The 22-year-old recently became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball history, breaking Pete Maravich’s 50+ year record. With the momentum going her way, Clark is already locking horns with the NBA big guns in terms of viewership and ticket prices.
Caitlin Clark is making history on and off the court
This is truly the era of women’s basketball, and Clark is spearheading it in style. Not only is she breaking individual records, but she is also elevating the game by bringing more attention to it. With a genuine interest in her game, fans are willing to buy tickets at mind boggling prices. In the Iowa vs Ohio State game, the non-General Admission tickets were priced at $491, the most expensive ticket pricing in the history of women’s basketball.
Most expensive ticket in Women’s Basketball history
No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 2 Ohio State on March 3 should be one for the books.
(via @TickPick) pic.twitter.com/65ARFrjHrA
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 27, 2024
In addition to that, their viewership also towered above the last major clash between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics. 3.01 million people tuned in for the Warriors-Celtics game, while the Iowa-Ohio game brought 4.42 million viewers. This is being dubbed as ‘The Caitlin Clark Effect’, and going by the numbers and records, the assessment seems to be spot on.
