Women's Basketball Growth Helped by Star Players, More Media Coverage

 Women's basketball has grown in popularity over the past few years thanks in no small part to the sensational play of Caitlin Clark. - The AP
 Women's basketball has grown in popularity over the past few years thanks in no small part to the sensational play of Caitlin Clark. - The AP
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Women's Basketball Growth Helped by Star Players, More Media Coverage

 Women's basketball has grown in popularity over the past few years thanks in no small part to the sensational play of Caitlin Clark. - The AP
 Women's basketball has grown in popularity over the past few years thanks in no small part to the sensational play of Caitlin Clark. - The AP

Women's basketball has grown in popularity over the past few years thanks in no small part to the sensational play of Caitlin Clark.

She’s become a household name that’s brought millions of new fans to the sport. But it's not just her. There's a slew of ultratalented players like Angel Reese, Juju Watkins and Paige Bueckers that are garnering attention.

Ticket demand, attendance, media coverage and television ratings have all blown up over the past few years ever since the COVID-19 season was played in the bubble.

While those numbers aren’t equal to the men’s NCAA Tournament, the gap has closed a lot, The Associated Press reported.

“I’ve said it before that it’s been intentional to hold women’s basketball back. It’s no longer intentional anymore because they see we’re bursting at the seams,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “We just want to be treated as a sport. We just want an opportunity to be seen, and I do feel like there has been — it’s been very intentional to put us on TV.”

The ratings for the first four rounds of the tournament have skyrocketed, including a record-breaking 12.3 million who tuned in for the Iowa-LSU game in the Elite Eight on Monday.

“It’s great. I think there’s great players on the men’s and women’s side," Purdue center Zach Edey said. "The fact that they’re kind of getting that coverage and exposure is long overdue. They have a lot of really good players.”

Edey is one of the rare men's stars who stuck around for four years. Usually the best men's college players jump to the pros after one season. The women greats stick around for four years helping fans know who they are.

“You’re able to build, like a real iconic legacy at a program,” NBA superstar LeBron James said. “That’s what we all love about it.”

There have always been great stars on the women's side like Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker and Brittney Griner. They just didn't get the attention that players today do.

“There's just more media coverage now which helps immensely from a brand perspective,” said Sara Gotfredson, who founded the Trailblazing Group, a Los Angeles marketing firm that specializes in commercial partnerships in women’s sports. “That's helping. When a men's player does some fantastic thing it gets covered on talk radio and SportsCenter. You're seeing that now on the women's side and it becomes water cooler conversation.”

UConn coach Geno Auriemma agreed that more coverage has helped the sport grow. His team for the past three decades has been the most covered and most well known program in the country. Now he sees a lot more schools and players get coverage.

“There was this point where people were, you know, dying for some other story line to appear. And there probably were some story lines but nobody really wanted to pay attention,” he said. “There weren’t enough people that they could look into what all the other story lines were. But now there’s way more opportunities for story lines. There’s more outlets for story lines.”

One area of growth that isn't talked about a lot is the changes to the game itself made in 2015, according to women’s basketball analyst LaChina Robinson. Playing four quarters, advancing the ball in the last minute of the contest. The men still play two 20-minute halves and don't allow the ball to advance at the end.

“Things like that have created a lot of opportunity within the game for excitement," she said. “There are more highlights and more exciting plays.”

Women’s sports has been riding a wave of popularity that stretches far beyond basketball. The perennially popular US women’s soccer team, the growth of women’s professional soccer and hockey, the wild popularity of volleyball and college softball and simply more exposure on TV — has all laid a foundation for fans to find what they want to see. And what they see is high-level play and star athletes.

“I can’t say that it’s bigger than the men’s side but it’s awesome for the women’s game,” said ACC Network analyst Luke Hancock, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2013 Final Four when he played for Louisville. “I’ve been locked in on more women’s games than I probably have ever before.”



F1 on Jeddah’s Streets - Talking Points Ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP

 McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
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F1 on Jeddah’s Streets - Talking Points Ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP

 McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)

This weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is the final leg of the first "triple header" of the season.

From Suzuka in Japan, to the desert of Bahrain, Formula One now pitches up on the shores of the Red Sea in Jeddah.

AFP Sport looks at five talking points ahead of the fifth round of the 24-race season:

Advantage McLaren

Oscar Piastri put in a faultless display from pole last Sunday in Sakhir to make it three wins out of four for the British marque.

That moved the cool as ice Australian to within three points of championship leader and teammate Lando Norris, who took third in Bahrain.

With Max Verstappen, only sixth, and Red Bull struggling to keep tabs on the world constructors' champions, the 2025 title could well develop into a battle between the two McLaren men.

The team has always been insistent on "papaya rules", theoretically meaning no favoritism between the pair, but that even-handed policy will be put under intense pressure if the season develops into a battle between the two gifted drivers.

Looking ahead to Sunday's race Norris commented: "It's a really fast track and we have a quick car, so we'll be aiming to finish this triple-header strongly."

Red Bull to bounce back?

Red Bull's problems in Bahrain were well documented, and they will be desperate to bounce back on one of their favorite hunting grounds, with Max Verstappen winning in Jeddah in 2022 and 2024.

"Bahrain was quite a difficult weekend for us and didn't really go our way at all. We had some issues that set us back and we still have a lot of work to do on the car to get us where we need to be," said the four-time champion.

He slipped to third in the standings, eight points behind Norris, after trailing in over half a minute behind Piastri in Sakhir.

"We have a final push with this being the third race and final weekend of the triple header so hopefully we can find more pace and bring out a performance similar to Japan (his only win of the season)," he added.

The circuit

Sunday's race presents a radically different test for car and driver than last week in Bahrain. The fastest street circuit on the calendar offers multiple chances for overtaking, in stark contrast to the most famous street circuit of them all, Monaco.

With a record 27 corners and three DRS (drag reduction system) zones it can be counted on to serve up plenty of drama, with the walled sides leaving little room for error.

All the ingredients then for a thrilling race under floodlights on Jeddah's Corniche.

Golf in the Gulf for Gasly

Alpine finally got off the ground in Bahrain, with Pierre Gasly picking up their first points of the season in seventh.

"It's great to leave Bahrain with points on the board after three challenging races at the start of the season," reflected the French driver.

He celebrated his bold show by following Rory McIlroy's emotional Masters triumph at Augusta.

"I really enjoyed staying up late to watch the end of the Masters and I'm delighted for Rory McIlroy, one of our investors, to finally secure the green jacket. Congratulations to him!"

Toto praise for Russell

George Russell will be hoping to concentrate on the job he's paid to do -- driving -- rather than as a part-time electrician. The Briton, enjoying his best ever start to a season, took second last Sunday despite a myriad of issues he had to contend with in the cockpit in the closing stages.

"It was a superb drive from him under extreme pressure," marveled Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Russell's teammate Kimi Antonelli did not enjoy the rub of the green and finished out of the points for the first time in his debut season.

"It has been easy to forget that Kimi is in the very earliest stages of his F1 career given his performances so far. Bahrain will prove an important milestone in his continued development," Wolff remarked.