Opinion Editor's Note: Editorials reflect the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently of the newsroom.
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The most memorable and potentially meaningful season in women's sports history ended Sunday with South Carolina State's NCAA victory over Iowa, 87-75. It is a series of games that have made history on several levels. She will be remembered for the quality of play and the rise of star players, as well as the class, poise and sportsmanship of the participants, who took women's collegiate sports to new levels.
It was an inspiring time for young athletes who follow and look up to college players. And for the most part, the women were worthy role models who valued selfless teamwork and respect for their competition. This year has also shown how women's sports can attract fans and why female athletes deserve a level of resources and attention more similar to that of men.
South Carolina won it all despite losing all of the team's starters last year. They were also the 10th Division I women's basketball team (38-0) to go undefeated for a full season.
Minnesota's own Tessa Johnson, a freshman, was a standout for South Carolina and was the team's leading scorer in the championship game. Johnson played high school ball at St. Michael-Albertville and was that state's top recruit. During her high school years, she was forced to drop out her sophomore year due to a broken leg, but fought her way back to excellence, which led to her being recruited by South Carolina.
The biggest star of the season, however, was University of Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, who broke the single-season scoring record in both men's and women's college basketball. Her outstanding play made her a household name and helped attract thousands of new fans to arenas and television broadcasts.
Paige “Buckets” Bueckers from Minnesota was also in the category who became famous for all the right reasons. Ranked as the top recruit in her class by ESPN, the former Hopkins High School star helped lead Connecticut to the 2024 finals.
But it was Clark's run to the second straight NCAA finals that helped make the women's tournament must-see television. Her performances set new TV ratings records for women's college basketball; More than 12 million people watched Iowa defeat Louisiana State University during the tournament.
Last Friday's ratings for Iowa vs. UConn broke previous records with 14.2 million viewers, a new high for a basketball game on ESPN – including men's and women's, college and professional – beaten only by the total of 18.7 million Championship game on Sunday was exceeded.
As she accepted the championship trophy and celebrated, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, a Hall of Fame player before leading the Gamecocks to three titles, rightly praised her team for its exceptional team-first play.
And with a classy nod from the podium, Staley acknowledged Clark's impact on women's sports, saying: “I would like to personally thank Caitlin Clark for promoting our sport. She has carried a heavy burden for our sport. …You’re one of them.” [greatests of all time] of our games and we value you.
Looking forward, can we consider a future in which Minnesota's female stars follow in Lindsay Whalen's professional footsteps? One that would bring Bueckers and Johnson home to the Lynx? (We'd love Clark from Iowa, too.) We can dream, right? And as this women's basketball season has shown, dreams can come true.
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