3/25/2023 0 Comments Blueprint pro plus![]() ![]() NCAA president Mark Emmert wants a federal law that governs all U.S. ![]() ![]() March Madness viewership stats say there's a market for quasi-professional college sport. NCAA officials have argued in the past that allowing athletes to cash in would torpedo college athletics' popularity. The transfer portal might have turned recruiting into a lower-stakes version of professional free agency, and COVID-19 still threatens to upend events, but the viewership numbers highlight the sustained appeal of a high-stakes game between historically powerful programs, and that women's basketball was a product in need of better placement.Īnd it all unfolded at the end of the first school year in which student-athletes were permitted to monetize their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) by scoring sponsorships, selling merchandise, or hosting skills camps for kids. Most people would take those numbers as evidence that the business of big-time college sports is still thriving. Sunday night's TV audience was the biggest for a women's final since 2004. That number represents an 18 per cent increase over last year, when organizers inadvertently put the women's tournament on everybody's radar by treating athletes like second-class sports citizens. It attracted 4.85 million viewers, according to. The number's not a shock, given the name-brand programs involved, but a mild surprise in an era of splintered TV audiences, and threats, both credible and made-up, to the NCAA's popularity. On Sunday, Aliyah Boston and the Gamecocks outclassed the UConn Huskies 64-49 to win the women's title, and the following night the Jayhawks reeled in the fast-starting North Carolina Tar Heels for a 72-69 win in the men's title game.įiguratively, we can say the NCAA itself won March Madness.Īccording to, the men's championship was the most-watched college basketball game in history with 18.1 million viewers. Technically, South Carolina and Kansas won the NCAA's two basketball championships this week. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ. This is a column by Morgan Campbell, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. ![]()
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