The Game has changed!

In this topsy-turvy world, the women's basketball tournament is drawing a much bigger audience than the men's basketball tournament, largely thanks to the incredible appeal of Caitlin Clark.  Her rematch with Angel Reese in the regional finals drew the largest ESPN television audience for any game, men's or women's.  That was until she squared off against Paige Bueckers in the semi-final game against UConn.  More than 14 million viewers tuned in, peaking at 17 million viewers.  Even the mighty LeBron was watching the game, only to complain about the call on a moving pick that sent Iowa to the Finals against South Carolina today, which no doubt will draw an even bigger audience.

Despite all this attention, alpha males continue to voice their grievances.  No longer able to claim that "girls" don't bring in the revenue, they fall back on how they could never compete against NBA players.  Luka Doncic threw a bit of cold water on this argument by saying Caitlin shoots a much better three than he does, and that the only comparison in the NBA is Steph Curry.

It would be tempting for an NBA team to draft Caitlin, as she would be an enormous draw, not that it would be the first time.  Way back in 1979, the Indiana Pacers drafted Ann Meyers.  It was a novelty act, to be sure, but drew a lot of attention.  Today, the women are much better players, and at the very least it would be interesting to see a preseason mixed league to spice things up.

The big hope is that the arrival of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in the WNBA will lead to a rivalry much like that between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, which many credit as reviving the NBA in the 1980s.  It too was suffering for lack of a television audience but the return of the Boston-LA rivalry with young telegenic stars made the NBA a top television draw again.  

The WNBA has never really had the opportunity to flourish, as it is a summer league, and doesn't have a chance to compete for a television audience during the NBA season.  In college basketball, the men and women play over the Fall and Winter and the tournaments are concurrent.  This helps women's basketball a great deal, as people are willing to give the tournament games a look as they are televised the same weeks.  The WNBA season similarly needs to be moved to the Fall and Winter with its playoffs concurrent with the men's playoffs.

I think a large part of what has made women's basketball appealing is that it is driven by fundamentals.  These women play basketball the way it should be played and it is very much a team effort.  It helps that most women play out their college careers, not turning professional after one or two seasons.  The NIL contracts have made it much more enticing to stay in college, as Caitlin banked a cool $3 million this past year, far more than she would make on a rookie contract in the WNBA.  Of course, her endorsements will carry over with her so that she will be able to augment the measley $76,000 salary.

For years, the NBA has depressed WNBA salaries, claiming the women don't bring in the revenue to warrant large salaries.  It's a facile argument and one often put forward by alpha males to defend their bloated dominance.  As a result, women end up playing in Asian and European leagues in the offseason to augment their income.  This was how Brittney Griner ended up in Russia, where she made more than $1 million per season at UMMC Ekaterinburg, three times what she made in the WNBA.  All that came to an ugly end when she was arrested at a Moscow airport for possession of hash and sentenced to hard labor in a Siberian penal colony.  Fortunately, the US was able to negotiate her release and she is back playing in the WNBA.

While the NBA keeps a tight rein on its women's league, college basketball has flourished with its many stars and competitive leagues.  The games are real nail-biters like the Iowa-UConn game that came down the final seconds with a moving pick deciding the outcome.  That's all everyone is talking about, although it was very clear it was the right call, setting up another epic rematch today between Iowa and South Carolina.  

Could the game today break 20 million viewers?  If so, the NBA really has something to worry about, as this is far more than any NBA finals over the last 6 years!  You have to go back to the 2016 and 2017 Finals when the NBA broke 20 million viewers for a Finals series.