Final Four Live: South Carolina and Iowa Begin Their Showdown
Powerful. That’s what the women’s game is right now. The popularity of a sport often rises on the strength of story, on narratives that propel the game forward and compel us to watch. This year’s N.C.A.A. tournament is loaded with them, along with the talent and high stakes that give those narratives meaning.
Yes, the Louisiana State women are exciting, with the do-it-all forward Angel Reese and a fiery, pink-boa-wearing coach, Kim Mulkey, whose outfits would make Elton John swoon. And who can root against a team as cohesive as Virginia Tech?
But there may not be a better story in sports than Caitlin Clark vs. Aliyah Boston. This week Clark was named national player of the year, supplanting Boston, the 6-foot-5 forward who has produced plenty of memorable moments while leading her team to three straight Final Fours and the 2022 national championship.
Boston could be the top pick in April’s W.N.B.A. draft. But first, she and her superlative coach, Dawn Staley, will try to prove that South Carolina can be a dynasty by getting past Clark and Iowa in Friday night’s Final Four matchup.
The power of the women’s game for narrative and high-stakes, compelling play has been there for years. But it hasn’t always been presented with proper attention. Women’s basketball has been part of a $34 million broadcast contract bundling all N.C.A.A. championships other than football and men’s basketball in the same deal.
Change could soon be on the way: This week, as the N.C.A.A. closed in on a decision about its next broadcast contract, several women’s coaches argued that it is high time for the association to sell the rights to the women’s tournament separately, potentially providing a financial windfall in the range of $81 million to $112 million per year, by one estimate.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/03/31/sports/womens-final-four