Iowa-South Carolina Pits Sport’s Biggest Star vs. Its Modern Dynasty
Iowa and South Carolina will face off in the women’s March Madness title game, a championship matchup that pits the sport’s biggest star against its new-money dynasty.
Sunday’s showdown will be the culmination of what’s shaping up to be a watershed tournament for women’s basketball. TV ratings have set multiple records, Final Four ticket prices have soared, and some of the NCAA’s biggest stars (like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso) have announced they’ll turn pro, a welcome boost for the WNBA.
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This specific contest is a dream matchup for Disney, which will air Sunday’s final on ABC. It is also a nod to the sport’s shifting power dynamic. UConn and Tennessee spent much of the past three decades as the primary powers in women’s basketball. As the sport grew in popularity, other schools have emerged to share in the newfound commercial opportunities. Perhaps the most notable of those newcomers are Clark’s Iowa (two straight title games) and undefeated South Carolina (four straight Final Fours).
Here’s one business nugget about each team ahead of their showdown on Sunday afternoon.
Iowa – Clark Mania
Iowa sold out every single home game this year, averaging 14,998 fans per game. That’s up from 7,102 in 2019-2020, the year before Clark arrived in Iowa City. That season, the Hawkeyes reported $366,860 in women’s basketball ticket revenue. Last season, the most recent year of financial data, the Hawkeyes reported $1.4 million. That number will jump again—likely significantly—when the fiscal 2024 numbers are available.
The Clark-related ticket riches, however, weren’t just claimed by the Hawkeyes. Iowa also sold out every single true road game it played this season. The Hawkeyes drew 18,660 fans for their game against Ohio State in January, an OSU record. The following week, Northwestern had its program’s first sellout when the Hawkeyes came to town.
South Carolina – Inverse Pay Gap
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is a member of a very exclusive club: women’s college coaches who get paid more than their male counterparts. Staley will earn $3.1 million in base pay this year, according to the seven-year contract she signed in October 2021. Lamont Paris, coach of the South Carolina men’s team, will make $2.3 million.
Staley, who will also take home a hefty six-figure bonus thanks to her team’s performance this year, is one of the highest-paid coaches in women’s basketball this year, according to USA Today. Among public school coaches she trails just LSU’s Kim Mulkey ($3.3 million), and makes the same as UConn’s Geno Auriemma ($3.1 million).
More March Madness stories:
–NC State Booster Club, NIL Collective Riding Final Four Gravy Train
–Athletes’ Motion in NIL Case Pits Baker’s Words Against NCAA
–WNBA Has Big Plans to Ride Women’s Basketball Momentum
–Final Four Coaches Find Experience Pays Off: Data Viz
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