Fans react as Dawn Staley and Caitlin Clark's NCAA match does what no NBA game could in 2024: "Will Paige or JuJu be enough to get people to watch?"

Caitlin Clark drew plenty of eyeballs in her last NCAA game for Iowa against Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks. An average of 18.9 million viewers watched Clark's farewell appearance in the women's national championship game on Apr. 7, 2024.

That matchup between Iowa and South Carolina was ranked 76th in the top 100 most-watched TV broadcasts in the United States in 2024. Clark's popularity was such that her final college appearance drew more viewers than any basketball game in 2024. It drew even higher ratings than the final game of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to Clark and Staley's title showdown game, which received incredible ratings in 2024.

"Once football season ends, I wonder how women's college basketball ratings will be without Caitlin Clark. Will Paige or JuJu be enough to get people to watch?" one fan asked.

"Wow, really interesting how NFL and sports dominates viewership. And the note about how the NCAA women’s basketball championship got higher ratings than any pro or college men’s basketball game should drive investment in women’s college b-ball," one fan commented.

"The women’s college basketball title game is ahead of any men’s college basketball or NBA game, the Olympics, World Series and just behind the Academy Awards," one fan commented.

Here are some other reactions.

"Not one single NBA game. That league is on life support and crashing," one fan claimed.

"Note 76 - not happening in 25 IMHO," one fan shared.

"Zero NBA," one fan posted.

Caitlin Clark continues to be the ratings queen in WNBA

Caitlin Clark brought her star power to the WNBA, with millions watching her rookie season with the Indiana Fever. The league saw 23 games hit more than 1 million viewers in 2024, with Clark involved in 20 of those contests. In hindsight, no WNBA game has ever hit seven figures in viewership since 2008.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (#22) handles the ball during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during Game Two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Credits: IMAGN)

The 14 most-watched WNBA games of the 2024 season belonged to Caitlin Clark and the Fever. Her most-watched game transpired on Sep. 25 when Indiana faced the Connecticut Sun in Game 2 of their first-round matchup. An average of 2.54 million viewers watched the Fever's 87-81 loss to the Sun, which ended Clark's first playoff campaign in the WNBA.