NCAA women’s basketball has seen a rapid rise in popularity over the last two decades. While there is a demand for the league from a rapidly growing fanbase, for many, the numbers are not quite where they should be.
The NCAA recently announced a blockbuster deal with ESPN that is set to earn $115 million per year over an eight-year period (2024-2032), totalling a whopping $920 million. That, however, bundles 40 championships into one contract and leaves woman’s basketball significantly undervalued according to some experts.
NCAA’s latest media deal isn’t enough for women’s college basketball https://t.co/HjJJ9URvQG pic.twitter.com/80eUxASE3q
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 22, 2024
While women’s sports like softball and volleyball have grown in popularity and numbers, they bring in a fraction of the figures that NCAA women’s basketball brings in.
According to a recent article in the Athletic, Chantal Jennings and Nicole Auerbach state the latest contract values NCAA women’s basketball at approximately $65 million per year, which is significantly more than the previous contract. That, however, is a small percentage of what their male counterparts earn. That figure, according to the article, is nearly $900 million per year in revenue.
The league’s popularity continues to grow at an exorbitant rate with schools such as the University of Connecticut, South Carolina and LSU drawing record numbers in viewership. Star names such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese continue to attract large audiences to the games.
The decision to combine the women’s league with other competitions is a head-scratcher for many fans of the game. With women’s basketball accounting for over 50% of the current ESPN contract, it is fair to question whether they would have been better off pursuing an independent contract of their own.
