Women’s NCAA title game outdraws men for first time
The women’s NCAA championship game drew a bigger television audience than the men’s title game for the first time, with an average of 18.9 million viewers watching undefeated South Carolina beat Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark, according to ratings released Tuesday.
The Sunday afternoon game on ABC and ESPN outdrew Monday’s men’s final between UConn and Purdue by four million. The Huskies’ 75-60 victory averaged 14.82 million on TBS and TNT.
The audience for the women’s game — in which the Gamecocks won their fourth national title and denied Clark’s Hawkeyes their first — peaked at 24.1 million during the final 15 minutes.
“You’re seeing the growth in many places: attendance records, viewership and social media engagement surrounding March Madness,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “I don’t think you can attribute it just to Iowa, though. A rising tide does lifts all boats. But I think all those boats have been on many different waterways. The product is really good, and the increase of exposure is getting rewarded.”
It was the second most-watched non-Olympic women’s sporting event on U.S. television, trailing only the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and Japan, which averaged 25.4 million on Fox. That also was on a Sunday and took place in prime time on the East Coast.
CALIPARI EXIT OFFICIAL
John Calipari is stepping down as Kentucky’s men’s basketball coach after 15 years, saying Tuesday that the “program probably needs to hear another voice” amid reports that he’s closing in on a deal with Arkansas to take over that Southeastern Conference program.
Calipari posted a video in which he said that after talking with his wife, Ellen, he decided a change was needed. He added, “We’ve loved it here, but we think it’s time for us to step away and step away completely from the program.”
Calipari leaves a Wildcats program he guided to the 2012 NCAA championship among four Final Four appearances. He went 410-123 in 15 seasons. The past few seasons have been disappointing by Kentucky standards, with a 1-3 mark in its last three NCAA Tournament trips, including first-round losses to No. 14 seed Oakland last month and No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s two years ago, despite being a top-three seed both times.
The most recent loss set off immediate calls to fire Calipari before athletic director Mitch Barnhart said Calipari would return next season. Firing Calipari would’ve triggered a buyout of more than $33 million under the terms of a 10-year, so-called lifetime contract signed in 2019. The list of possible candidates to replace Calipari includes Baylor’s Scott Drew, who guided the Bears to a national title in the 202021 COVID-19 season. UConn’s Dan Hurley, who guided the Huskies to their second consecutive NCAA championship, has also been mentioned, along with Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, whose Florida squads were the NCAA’s last back-to-back champs before UConn.
SURGERY FOR SOX’S STORY
Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story will have what is likely season-ending surgery on his dislocated left shoulder, and right-hander Nick Pivetta has a strained a right flexor, the latest in a spate of elbow injuries among pitchers.
Story, a two-time All-Star, was placed on the 10-day injured list after dislocating his left shoulder Friday. Projected recovery time is six months. ivetta was placed on the 15-day IL, a move retroactive to Saturday.
MATCHES GO ON DESPITE THREATS
Alleged terror threats from the Islamic State elicited concern but did not prompt any cancellations of the Champions League soccer matches taking place throughout Europe this week. UEFA, which governs the competition, said it was “aware” of the apparent threats, which stemmed from social media posts attributed to an ISIS-affiliated media organization that allegedly called for attacks at the stadiums.