Even as new faces make a memorable mark in a specific sport, some people are not always ready to favor them over the athletes who left that mark before them. With LeBron James, some would only choose to send their love to Michael Jordan. Similarly, some college basketball fans are not ready to move on from Caitlin Clark even if they have Paige Bueckers. An example of this was recently highlighted on social media after the UConn Huskies were credited for contributing to a significant NCAA milestone.
Earlier today, Front Office Sports reported a new viewership update from the ongoing March Madness series. The Women’s Final Four series had reportedly drawn 3.9 million viewers. This makes it the third-most-watched semifinal in history. At the same time, however, the ratings were down 64% from last year, as the viewership average had reached about 10.8 million viewers back then.
If the last part had not been added, then the update would have been a good enough reason to give Paige Bueckers praise. After all, one of the Final Four games was between the UConn Huskies and the UCLA Bruins. Speculated to be the 1st pick in the upcoming 2025 WNBA draft, the attention of the basketball world was on her and her squad. This is why the UConn-UCLA game reportedly drew 4.1 million viewers, while the Texas Longhorns vs. South Carolina Gamecocks matchup averaged 3.6 million viewers.
Unfortunately, people would focus only on the bigger number and use it to give Caitlin Clark their flowers. Why? Well, because the previous Final Four game featured Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes and the UConn Huskies. The matchup drew a whopping 14.2 million viewers, making it the then most-watched ESPN basketball game ever. As expected, the praise for Clark started coming in soon.
Basketball fans shun Paige Bueckers’ viewership feat in favor of Caitlin Clark: “Caitlyn Clark Effect”
One social media user wrote “Caitlyn Clark Effect”. It is what everybody would have been thinking after reading the update, only with the correct spelling in mind.
Caitlyn Clark Effect
— scheme (@tigerwav) April 5, 2025
Caitlin Clark brought a new life to NCAA basketball during her 4 years with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists she averaged throughout 139 games made her a popular figure in women’s basketball. The national attention was drawn towards when, as a junior for Iowa during 2023 NCAA tournament, she set tournament records in points and three-pointers while the Hawkeyes secured a runner-up finish. This ultimately led to a rise in viewership of games featuring her, along with an increase of ticket sales and merchandise. This phenomenon, which was dubbed the ‘Caitlin Clark effect’, continues to be seen even in the WNBA now.
One individual wrote, “Paige Bueckers doesn’t have that same aura as Caitlin Clark in the end”. Well, both players are different people with different personalities. At the same time, however, Paige Bueckers is not without any aura. After all, throughout 4 college seasons, and 122 games with the UConn Huskies, she averaged 19.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. Bueckers has been the AP Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American, along with being the holder of both the Wooden and Naismith trophies. If all goes well in the championship game against the South Carolina Gamecocks, then she will have something even Clark does not have: an NCAA championship trophy. In the end, it all comes down to personal preferences.
One social media user saw the Final Four viewership numbers for this year, and the previous year, and commented, “Gee, wonder why.” Well, no one can deny that the hype around Clark brought unprecedented viewership numbers during her March Madness run. In fact, last year’s national title game between Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes and the South Carolina Gamecocks delivered a record-setting 18.9 million viewers. The Iowa-LSU game from back in 2023 recorded 9.9 million viewers, a big jump from the 4.9 million viewers that saw UConn and South Carolina compete in the finals in 2022. There are already expectations that the upcoming UConn-South Carolina game will not draw those numbers. All of this does nothing but speak well for Caitlin Clark.
One individual wrote, “The face of women’s basketball is no longer in college !!”. He/she also attached a video of Caitlin Clark in her Iowa Hawkeyes jersey. Clark’s college team certainly benefited from having the star on the team. Sure, they could not win any NCAA championship with her. However, the ‘Caitlin Clark effect’ began to do good things for the Hawkeyes quite early on. Back in August 2023, reports indicated that Clark drove increases in home and away attendance for her games. This was to the point that, when entering her senior season, the Iowa Hawkeyes sold out all of its home games for the first time. The team had previously sold out only three regular-season games in program history.
NCAA, College League, USA Tournament First Round-Holy Cross vs Iowa Mar 23, 2024 Iowa City, IA, USA Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark 22 reacts as forward Hannah Stuelke 45 looks on during the second quarter of the NCAA first round game against the Holy Cross Crusaders at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa City Carver-Hawkeye Arena IA USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJeffreyxBeckerx 20240323_sjb_bc9_079
One social media user attempted to defend Paige Bueckers by writing, “Very simple. Paige doesn’t have an “Angel Reese” ”. Well, that is true. Every good sports storyline needs a competitor to make things interesting. For a while, Michael Jordan had that in the ‘Bad Boys’ Detroit Pistons. The LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers had that in the Golden State Warriors. Even before they entered the WNBA, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark faced off against each other. One could say that the competition between Paige Bueckers and Lauren Betts would have made things interesting. However, given that the Huskies’ 34-point win was the largest in Final Four history, some people would have predicted the outcome and would have been drawn away from the game.
Overall, the majority of reactions praised Caitlin Clark, with a few defending Paige Bueckers. If the UConn Huskies star wants to change the narrative for herself, the championship game better have some major viewership numbers.
The post Calls Mount Against UConn’s Final Four Win as Paige Bueckers Suffers the Wrath of NCAA Community Because of Caitlin Clark appeared first on EssentiallySports.
