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12.3 Million People Watched Iowa vs. LSU in the Elite 8
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A little late on this one, but still worth sharing:
Iowa’s win over LSU in the Elite 8 drew a stunning 12.3 million viewers on #ESPN 🔥
This was the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever.
Read more from @AustinKarp ⬇️
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) April 3, 2024
People tune in for stars and storylines. This one had Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Kim Mulkey. Two compelling players in a title game rematch and a head coach who is constantly making headlines. Throw in the black girl vs. white girl angle and you had all of the insufferable race hustlers on both sides attracted to this game like flies on honey. Outkick, Jason Whitlock, Jemele Hill, Emmanuel Acho, etc. Just shameless absolute nonsense from people who will grab the lowest-hanging racial fruit they can find. It’s hanging so low that’s it literally touching the ground. It’s a watermelon.
But yeah, the game really had a little bit of everything, so it’s no surprise that it shattered viewership records. It’ll be interesting to see if Clark and Reese eventually turning pro carries momentum into the WNBA, which had attendance and viewership gains in 2023. You’re always going to be competing for slices of the same saturated sports pie, which in Philadelphia doesn’t include a pro women’s team or powerhouse college program. And going back to Monday, the Flyers and Phillies were on at the same time that Iowa and LSU were playing. Ivan Fedotov was making his NHL debut in a game that went to overtime, and the Phils went to 10 innings that night before Connor Brogdon gave up a grand slam.
Not sure about you, but my Philly-centric timeline was mostly focused on the Flyers and Phils. I flipped over to Iowa/LSU during the second Flyers intermission, but came back to the Flyers for that third period, which saw Morgan Frost score late, only to then cough it up in overtime. The Phils ended up losing 6 to 3 in the 10th frame. It seemed like most of the Iowa/LSU chatter on my feed was coming from national accounts I follow, but I imagine Iowa/LSU was probably on the local periphery. It was a good game, definitely a nice palette cleanser while the Flyers and Phils were stinking up the joint.
A lot of respect between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Fierce competitors. They’ve made the game better. pic.twitter.com/zpgYGytzMk
— Dr. Lindsey Darvin (@DrLindseyDarvin) April 2, 2024
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com