When you go to a sporting event, you tend to see people in team gear. You’ll see fans decked out – from painted faces to customized shoes – rooting on their teams and players. Occasionally, you might see the casual fan wearing their everyday street clothes, but for the most part, it’s all about the fanfare.

This year at the women’s Final Four, it seemed like fewer people were wearing their team’s merchandise. There were plenty of Huskies and Gamecocks in the usual attire, but what I saw more than anything else were fans wearing T-shirts that carried the phrase, “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports.”

I wouldn’t have been able to count the number of fans I saw within 20 minutes wearing these T-shirts on my fingers and toes – that’s how many there were.

The shirts aren’t wrong either! If you look at the ratings and attendance for the two semifinals and the championship game, you will see just how correct they were.

According to Nielsen fast-nationals, the 2025 Women’s Final Four had its third-highest ratings in the ESPN era, with an average of 3.9 million viewers for each game played across ESPN networks, Amalie Arena was also sold out with a capacity of just under 20,000.

The reach of women’s college basketball seems to be extending every day.

Both UConn and South Carolina head coaches, Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley, stated in press conferences that it was time to look at a new TV deal for the sport. Similarly, the two coaches also said that such a deal would represent how much executives think women’s college basketball is worth.

When the camera panned to the audience during the games, you could see little kids with braids in their hair like Paige Bueckers or wearing small jerseys for their favorite player. Boys and girls alike were excited to see these women play college basketball and look up to the players on the court.

We are entering an era where the value of women’s sports is becoming clearer, and yeah, everyone watches women’s sports.

By Marlee Ressa | @marleeressa

As I have sat and watched these amazing Women’s NCAA Tournament games over the weekend in the great Amelie Arena, I was continuously amazed by how intense the crowd was in all three games. All four programs’ fans traveled very well. From coast-to-coast, they made sure to make it.

Each night was a sold-out crowd, and the arena was ROCKING, even in blowout games. The opportunity to be here, to feel the energy from the crowd, gave me goosebumps on several occasions. I have been to several great games and venues thanks to the Sports Capital Journalism Program; College Football Playoffs, Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships and the Horizon League Championships, and NOTHING has topped these crowds this weekend. With how great the crowds have been, I think it might be time to have the conversation: should the Women’s Final Four be moved to larger venues in football stadium?

Let me be clear, I do not know the right answer to this, or if there even is a right answer. I know a lot of people are indifferent about the Men’s Final Four being at places where the seats farthest from the court cannot really see the action, but I think what the women’s game has done over the years makes it deserving to at least have those conversations.

Seeing how loud and filled the arena was, how exhilarating Tampa was the entire weekend, the demand is only continuing to increase. The supply (seats available) needs to make sure to keep up with this demand.

I think the only issue might be they will need to change the weekend the Women’s Final Four is played, allow fans and media to go to both tournament championships. I think it will benefit both parties, as more people will be able to attend each one. It sounds like there is already conversation to make this switch, UConn coach Geno Auriemma during one of his press conferences said he was in favor of such a change.

To be in Tampa, to watch this game and talk to the players and coaches, I am still pinching myself that I was given such an opportunity. But seeing how much the media has increased its coverage, how intense the fanbases are and truly love this game, I think the women’s game is on a trajectory to take place at larger venues in the not-so-distant future. Things will have to change, probably changing the game from the same weekend as the men’s tournament, but these changes will only help. If this crowd could have been at the Alamodome, decibel records would have been up for breaking.

As the women’s game continues to grow and more stars get their flowers, we will see where these games get to go. I look forward to reading the stories future students in the Sports Capital Journalism Program write and how electric those venues will be.

By Jeffery Green | @Jeffery_Agreen