Women’s March Madness was expected to be more compelling than the men’s, and the numbers proved this. The tournament hype — largely driven by Iowa’s star guard Caitlin Clark — resulted in the most-watched college basketball games in ESPN history.

Viewership numbers from women’s March Madness prove the women’s game is thriving, yet significant infrastructure issues are still holding the tournament back from realizing its full potential (and revenue opportunities).

It turns out all the rumors are true. After much deliberation, the WTA Finals will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2024 to 2026. Despite human rights concerns from women’s tennis athletes and journalists, the WTA ultimately followed the money.

The Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC) kicks off its fifth season tomorrow with some new business developments, including an expanded media partnership with Caffeine TV and the creation of a new flag football branch. This Tuesday, WNFC founder Odessa Jenkins spoke with The GIST about how it all came together.

March was a wild month for women’s sports, complete with a March Madness tournament that’s transforming women’s college basketball and an NWSL season kickoff garnering more media coverage than ever. To celebrate a Women’s History Month full of sporting wins, here are the latest Google trends in women’s sports.

Instead of letting women’s March Madness’ media rights hit the market, ESPN renewed its NCAA deal in January — and it’s already paying dividends. While many stars have been knocked out of this year’s tournament, Iowa’s presence in the Final Four will likely have networks and advertisers rooting for Clark to win it all.

Basketball nonprofit PeacePlayers is hosting its first-ever, in-person Girls Summit event in NYC this weekend. Big brand stars are showing up to support girls in sports during the event, which is a meaningful investment in community and brand equity.

Women’s sports heavy-hitter Ally announced its latest major partnership yesterday, becoming the official retail banking partner of The Soccer Tournament (TST). Expanding on its previous investment in TST’s inaugural tournament last year, the new sponsorship brings Ally another step closer to reaching its 50/50 Pledge by the end of 2027.

Caitlin Clark is leading Iowa through March Madness as she broke another scoring record on her way to this weekend’s Sweet 16. As she draws GOAT comparisons, people are also recognizing her potential to transform the business of women’s basketball — WNBA CMO Phil Cook recently told SportsPro that she’s the next Tiger Woods.

Over the past few months, billionaire investor (and Brooklyn Beckham’s FIL) Nelson Peltz has been fighting to influence the future of Disney by joining its board. Peltz’s latest battle in the shareholder proxy war could have ramifications for leading sports media network and Disney cash cow ESPN, which has plans to go direct-to-consumer by next year.

While official data points from women's March Madness have yet to drop, there’s a general consensus building that the women’s tournament is more compelling than the men’s. A recent Seton Hall Sports Poll (the first and only university-based poll on the sports industry) reflects the rising popularity of women’s college basketball.

Last Saturday, Angel City FC, the Los Angeles Public Library, and Wikipedians in the LA area hosted a one-day Wikipedia edit-a-thon in celebration of Women’s History Month. The at-capacity event allowed local residents to contribute their Angel City knowledge to the world’s largest, community-driven encyclopedia.