The women’s basketball team at the University of Iowa, led by former athlete of the year, senior Caitlin Clark, has just set a new world record. On October 15th, the Hawkeyes faced off against DePaul University in Iowa’s outdoor stadium, Kinnick. The Hawkeyes attracted 55,646 fans to the game, breaking the record for most attendees at a women’s basketball game.
The previous record, held by the Connecticut vs. Oklahoma championship match in 2002, was 29,619 fans. This new record has nearly doubled that number. Thanks to a significant rise in women’s sports, turnouts like this are becoming more common. This past August, the Nebraska women’s volleyball team also played in front of a record crowd in their outdoor stadium. The Huskers drew in a crowd of over 92,000 fans, setting a record for most attendees at any women’s sporting event.
Nebraska football brings in an average of 86,637 fans per game, a number that Nebraska volleyball beat by several thousand. There is no doubt that women’s sports are capable and deserving of selling out football stadiums, but there are still obstacles to overcome before those numbers can become an average.
The rise in popularity of women’s sports can largely be attributed to some of the up and coming players. Iowa’s senior Caitlin Clark, and last year’s female athlete of the year, has an impressive fan base of her own. Her success as an athlete only increases fan attendance, but more importantly, increases the recognition of female athletes and what they can accomplish.
Athletes such as Angel Reese of LSU basketball and Livvy Dunne of LSU gymnastics are also making significant strides for women’s sports. Livvy’s presence on Tik Tok and her plentiful NIL deals puts her in the top 3 of highest earning college athletes. Along with Livvy, Angel Reese took the front cover of Sport Illustrated to represent the success of women’s sports at LSU. Their presence on social media and their performances are consistently pushing the boundaries set around women’s sports and making those record numbers possible.
These women prove not only to young girls, but the rest of the world what women are capable of. This is only the beginning of an extremely promising future for female athletics.