Numbers don’t lie: Women’s college basketball is about to overtake the men’s game in ratings and star power

Until just a couple of years ago, when someone said “March Madness,” they were only talking about the men’s college basketball tournament. In fact, until two years ago, the women’s tournament wasn’t even allowed to use the name “March Madness.” But things have changed a lot since then.

On April 1, over 12 million people watched Iowa beat LSU in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. It was the most-watched women’s basketball game ever. By comparison, the men’s Elite Eight games averaged just 9.95 million viewers, with...