Given that March Madness just ended, it is only fair to raise an important yet unpopular opinion – women’s March Madness is more fun to watch and frankly, better than men’s. It had to be said. Every year during this time, the most annoying thing is that whenever March Madness is brought up, most people only discuss the men’s tournament, and some don’t even know that there is also a women’s tournament. This is astounding because everything about women’s March Madness is superior. The fundamental techniques of basketball are executed better by women, there are extremely popular and insanely talented players arising from the women’s side, and there is a level of camaraderie and sisterhood that the men don’t seem to have.
With women’s March Madness skyrocketing in viewership and popularity starting last year, more influential people are watching and speaking out about how exciting the women’s game is to watch. NBA superstar Lebron James said, “They always play the game the right way – passing and cutting, sharing the ball. They’re definitely going to get on the floor for loose balls,” implying that these fundamental principles of basketball are what the viewers want to watch, and the women execute them well. While it’s unfair to say that men’s college players never execute these basic skills, it’s important to point out that men’s college basketball plays two twenty-minute halves and women’s plays four ten-minute quarters. The foul number for each team resets to zero at half time for men’s and after each quarter for women’s. This means that men’s games consist of a lot more free throw shot attempts, and this disrupts the fluidity of the game, making it more boring to watch. Lebron James even shared that he believes that men’s college basketball would be better with four quarters, which is what women’s college basketball, the WNBA, and the NBA has.
Women’s college basketball has also produced incredibly talented and popular stars who have helped the league grow. Last year, Caitlin Clark from Iowa was arguably the face of college basketball, and for good reason. She broke countless records during her time in college, including becoming the all-time leading scorer in Division 1 women’s college basketball. She led her team to the March Madness finals, and even though they lost, she still went on to be the first pick of the WNBA draft. Angel Reese from LSU was another star from last year, and the rivalry the fans created between her and Caitlin Clark attracted a lot of viewership to women’s March Madness. With this growing popularity, last year’s March Madness women’s finals game generated more viewership than the men’s finals games for the first time ever. Clearly more people are starting to figure out how amazing women’s college basketball is. Another notable person is Paige Bueckers from UConn. She is arguably the face of the league this time around and just led her team to their first national championship since 2016.
Lastly, women’s college basketball is better because of the pure camaraderie and sisterhood between the players. Because women are required to play four years in college or be 22 before being eligible to be drafted to the WNBA, they form tight bonds with their fellow teammates. On the contrary, men only have to play at least one year in college to be drafted to the NBA. This makes it more difficult for men to form connections with their teammates because players are constantly coming and leaving. The strong connections women’s teams form translates onto the court through their chemistry, making the game more exciting to watch. Additionally, fans tend to get more attached to women’s college teams because all the players seem like the best of friends based on how they interact on the court, in their press conferences, and in videos they post on social media. Women’s college players form sisterly connections with each other that will last a lifetime, and we just don’t see that as much on the men’s side.
That said, although women’s March Madness has increased in popularity, it is still criminally underrated among normal college basketball fans, and more people need to start watching. Just because the women rarely dunk doesn’t mean they’re bad. They are exceptionally talented and exciting to watch. Next year, make a bracket for men’s and women’s March Madness and see which one keeps you more on your toes!
