CLEVELAND — Sports fans do not need to look any further than this coming Sunday's top ten matchup between Ohio State and Iowa to get a sense of the popularity of women's basketball.

 

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland is preparing to host the Women's Final Four 

  • There will be a large economic impact on the city from hosting the tournament 

  • Last year's championship game between LSU and Iowa set records for ratings

The least expensive ticket on Iowa’s website right now is a little less than $300, with some tickets going for nearly $4,000 apiece.

One month from now, Ohio stands to gain from that excitement when Cleveland hosts the Women’s Final Four.

“We look at a lot of data points whether that’s attendance throughout the regular season and our championship, the broadcast ratings, the social media impressions, it’s grown in so many ways,” said Lynn Holzman, Vice President of NCAA Women’s Basketball.

Last year’s championship game between LSU and Iowa drew an average of nearly 10 million viewers, more than double the year before.

“What we have is a generational player in Caitlin Clark and there were others that were before her, but what we’re experiencing right now is a player that’s really bringing fans of basketball into it because of the great athleticism and skill that she has and the rest of women’s basketball game is benefiting from that,” Holzman said.

But the popularity of women’s basketball is about more than just one player.

According to the NCAA, the women’s tournament set attendance records for the first two rounds in each of the last two years, while TV ratings for those rounds jumped more than 27%.

This year, Cleveland stands to be the biggest beneficiary, as it gets set to host the Final Four for the first time in 17 years.

“What we talk about is when the women’s Final Four was here in 2007, it was a tournament. Now it’s an event,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. “It’s an event that the eyes of the country, many cases the eyes of the world are on and I think that speaks to how the game has been elevated.”

This is also likely to have major economic implications for the city.

“This event is going to mean tens of millions of dollars to the northeast Ohio economy. We’re going to be showcased on hundreds of national media outlets that will be here to watch the tournament,” Gilbert said.

“We are the premiere mega elite women’s sporting event in the world, so bringing that to Cleveland, I think it’s a great opportunity for this community to be on that worldwide stage while we crown a national champion,” Holzman said.

While it remains to be seen whether this year’s Final Four includes a hometown team or a national star, one thing is for sure, that Cleveland is being thrust into the sports spotlight yet again.

“In just the past four-five years hosting MLB Allstar game, NBA Allstar game, NFL draft, now women’s Final Four and many others,” Gilbert said.