Women’s college basketball games are often breaking TV viewers records, but the men’s tournament also draws better ratings nevertheless. Per Nielsen, the nine most- watched activities of the first two rounds were from the people’s category.
But the people have obviously surpassed the people in one calculate of recognition: social media following.
Among the contenders for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award, which honors the region’s most remarkable college basketball player, seven of the 10 people with the most Instagram followers are adult, including the overall best five. On the flip side, seven of the 15 people’s winners have fewer than 25, 000 followers, and only two of the women.
Leading the way is LSU’s Angel Reese with 2.7 million fans. That’s not only far more than all 15 men’s Wooden finalists combined (960, 000 ), but it’s also more than NBA superstar Anthony Edwards ( 2 million ) and not too far off from phenom and NBA Rookie of the Year favorite Victor Wembanyama ( 3.7 million ).
Reese gained even more popularity as a result of LSU’s move to the 2023 nationwide championship. The most popular women’s college basketball match on record was the last between LSU and Iowa, and Reese gained more than 1 million followers throughout the course of the competition.
That level of social internet affect has advantages financially. Reese’s 26 support deals level fourth among all adult sports tracked by Sponsor United. Taylor stated in a recent press conference that she would like to pursue a career after this institution season that she would make money.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who has 1.2 million Instagram followers, is behind Reese on the scoreboard. During her March Madness run in 2023, Clark amassed almost half of those adherents, similar to Reese. In what could be Clark’s final university activity, as she will join the WNBA this spring, the two enjoy each other in the Elite Eight on Monday.
UConn’s Paige Bueckers is the last Wooden Award winner with at least 1 million fans. She’s averaging 28 points per activity across the first three sessions of the game.
It’s not just the children’s celebrities who are shining on social advertising, though. South Carolina rookie MiLaysia Fulwiley, for example, just started three game this year but has more supporters than 13 of the 15 people’s Wooden Award winners.
That’s not to say that men’s college basketball does n’t have stars. After making a name for himself earlier in the season with TikTok video in which he danced, sang, or talked about painting his fingers, Jared McCain of Duke has 912, 000 Instagram fans. In a second-round victory, McCain scored 30 items for his Blue Devils, who even advanced to the Elite Eight.
Women players are forced to stay in school more because of the differences in the time requirements for the NBA and WNBA drafts, which gives them more time to develop relationships with their fans and grow their followings. Women are required to get 22 years old while men only have to be 19 at some point in the calendar year to consider.
Bueckers is just a young and will remain in university for the 2024- 25 season. Reese has yet to reveal a choice. In contrast, Kentucky freshman Rob Dillingham, who has 690, 000 Instagram followers and is projected to be a high lottery pick in the NBA draft, wo n’t return to the Wildcats.
Yet if Reese and Clark both get pro, the future of the children’s game is beautiful with students like USC’s JuJu Watkins, who has 527, 000 fans now. She will face Bueckers ‘ Huskies in an Elite Eight match on Monday.
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