When Dawn Staley talked about garnering 18.7 million views for South Carolina vs Iowa NCAA title game: “Trying to get to the top”

In August 2024, after winning the national championship with an undefeated season run, Dawn Staley was interviewed by Forbes magazine. She discussed the unprecedented attention paid to women's basketball from her time as a player to now as a coach at South Carolina.

The interviewer highlighted the 18.7 million views for the NCAA Tournament final between her and the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes. The game peaked at 24.1 million viewers in the last 15 minutes. Staley was asked about her views on the movement of women's basketball and she said (1:40):

"I do believe we've been held back for a very long time and not it's, we're like bottlenecking it. We're trying to get to the top and get as many eyeballs on our game, and people are clamouring."

Dawn Staley noted that women's basketball has become a popular topic of discussion. She expressed her happiness in witnessing this evolution and credited players like Caitlin Clark with attracting diverse audiences.

"I think sometimes you need a unifier. I think Caitlin Clark has done a tremendous job at being that person that people want to see, and it is the young, the old, she's bought the different set of eyeballs on our game," Dawn Staley added [Timestamp- 03:12].

Amid rising viewership in women's basketball, the NCAA has also approved a new pay structure for women's basketball teams participating in March Madness. This will allow them to receive performance-based revenue distribution similar to the men's team. This initiative will help in bolstering investment in women's basketball and promote gender equality in sports.

Dawn Staley's playful remark on SEC tournament seeding

Syndication: The Tennessean - Source: Imagn

It's the time of the year when college basketball's regular season will conclude. Dawn Staley's No. 6-ranked South Carolina is vying with the No. 1 Texas Longhorns for the SEC regular-season title. However, with both the teams having identical conference records and the tiebreaker currently favoring Texas, it's hard to make out the top seed for the SEC tournament.

"We control our own destiny. If we take care of business and Texas takes care of business, then our fate is in a coin toss," Staley said. "... I think we should've thought a little bit more ahead of this situation knowing that we were bringing a Texas and an Oklahoma into the SEC."

Staley's comment highlighted the level of competition in the SEC right now. She is now cheering for the Longhorns to lose a game to close out the competition.