Lately women sports have experienced an increase in viewership and coverage. This is especially the case for women’s basketball. The question is how can continue the growth of not just women’s sports but women’s basketball in particular. Well, the answer that comes to my mind is rivalries.
In the 1980s the NBA had drug-use problems, low profit, and low attendance. Not to mention you had to watch the finals on tape delay. Then came Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
The two brought their college rivalry from college to the NBA, and it was exactly what the league needed. You had the white, quiet, Sharpe shooter in Boston, and the flashy black super star in Los Angeles. The lakers and Celtics proceeded to appear in the NBA Finals every year in the decade, and this is what set the table for Michael Jordan to come in and take over the league. So how can this happen for women’s basketball? Well, the crazy thing is that it’s happening right now.
Angel Reese and Caitlyn Clark have fulfilled the roles of Johnson and Bird. Now of course it’s to be seen if they have the careers of Johnson and Bird but even if they don’t their impact may be similar. In 2024 Clark and Reese drew major attention for their March Madness matchup, this carried over to the WNBA where some of the most viewed games were between the teams Clark and Reese played for. I don’t find it coincidental that after the first year of Clark and Reese in the WNBA that the W signed new deals with TV networks, because of these players that come into the W after like Paige Bueckers or JuJu Watkins can help grow the game more.
When rivalries like Bird and Johnson or Clark and Reese happen, they add an extra something to the game. It gives the casual fan something tangible to pay attention to. Another thing rivalries lead to is more easy promotion. For example, in the NFL you can say Mahomes v Allen, because of their history it’s easy to advertise and will always draws a big audience. Another example of this is LeBron and Steph Currey in the NBA.
I believe that women’s sports have been improving especially over the last decade. When you add good storylines to a good sports product then something that was good has a chance to be great. Women’s sports used to be an afterthought, but as someone with a little sister it’s great to see them get the attention they’ve earned. Even though the cultural mindset around women’s sports has come a long way there is still a long way to go.
