Coming off a record-setting women’s college basketball tournament, a new survey confirms what the ratings have already been saying about the popularity of women’s sports.
According to Magid, interest in women’s college basketball grew by 50%, to 18% of respondents in the Magid AD.VANTAGE survey from 12% last May.
“This isn't just about new fans coming to sports, or more women following sports. The core group driving this is already the core sports fan base,“ Magid executive VP of local media Jaime Spencer said. "So, more seasoned sports fans are adopting these additional sports, which speaks to the potential for the trends to stick.”
According to the research, 34% of March 2024 survey respondents said they were watching the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament this year.
The biggest gains in the survey came among younger men with children at home.
Magid found an even greater jump in attention to women’s professional sports, with interest growing to 21% of those surveyed from 13% a year ago.
“When you factor the growing WNBA figures into this, we see a real trend with staying power, particularly as the number of stars coming up in college continues to grow,“ Spencer said. “Caitlin Clark is undoubtedly the face of this women’s sports growth, but it is bigger than just her. What is really cool is that it appears she may be ushering in a trend that will grow beyond and even outlast her.”
