DANBURY, Connecticut — On March 3, 2023, Iowa Women’s Basketball player Caitlin Clark broke the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I scoring record. She passed Pete Maravich’s previous record of 3,667 career points in a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, which made her the highest-scoring Division I player of all time among both men and women. Star athletes like Clark, Paige Bueckers of UCONN, Cameron Brink of Stanford, and Kamilla Cardoso of South Carolina are all part of the reason why collegiate women’s basketball has grown exponentially in recent years. In the 2023-24 regular season, a record 2.6 billion total minutes of live games were consumed and viewership increased by 37% (ESPN Press Room). Ticket sales for games featuring Clark and the Hawkeyes have gone through the roof. KCCI Des Moines reported that since Clark started playing in 2020, the average price of Iowa women’s basketball tickets have increased by 224%, while schools that have hosted the Hawkeyes have seen a 150% increase in attendance compared to their other home games. In the midst of Women’s History Month, there is no better time to shine a light on how the growing popularity of collegiate women’s basketball has influenced female athletes of all ages and abilities.
While I do not play at the same level as Clark, I can feel the effects of her impact on all women’s sports even as a Division III athlete. With each incredible performance, she is inspiring a new generation of girls to become athletes and giving them the confidence to play in a world where sports continue to be dominated by males. As someone who has played basketball my entire life, I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue my athletic career at Western Connecticut State University. It is hard to put into words how much of a positive impact being part of a collegiate team has had on my life. I have never met a greater group of women than my teammates. The connections I have made with them both on and off the court will last long after I graduate and I am thankful to have every single one of them in my life. Throughout the high and lows of our seasons, we have learned how to be there for one another through tough times and developed powerful communication skills. During my time at WCSU, I have witnessed my own growth as well as that of my teammates into strong, resilient women who are eager to take on any challenges life throws at them. Playing basketball at the college level has shaped me into the person I am today and continues to have a tremendous influence on my life.
I understand that without the many female athletes who came before me and fought for equality at the collegiate level, I may not have ever had the chance to still be playing the sport I love. Although I am not a star player at a Division I school, I deeply admire everything my fellow student-athletes like Caitlin Clark are accomplishing because they are putting women’s basketball on the map. Their success is grabbing the attention of those who may have never thought about watching or supporting women’s basketball before. With every new achievement, they are evening the playing field and helping to tighten the gap between men and women’s sports. While the fight for equality in sports has been ongoing and may never truly reach an end, there is no doubt that female collegiate athletes have entered an era of impressive growth- and they show no signs of stopping any time soon. In the words of the renowned South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, “Women’s basketball is bursting at the seams … It is a long time coming.” (Vanity Fair).
Alyssa Virtue
Junior, Elementary Education major
Western Connecticut State University