Sports continues to be the most popular genre on television. The ratings of the NFL, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament NBA Finals and World Series continue to attract more viewers and ad dollars than other program type. The popularity has been growing with women’s sporting events resulting in higher ratings, greater attendance, more sponsors, increased prize winnings and greater media coverage.
This increase in interest with women’s sports coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX, passed in June 1972, which helped to create gender equality in sport. Nonetheless, there remain challenges ahead.
The recently concluded NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is a recent example in the progress women’s sports is making. The NCAA has been improving the profile of the tournament which began forty years ago. For this year’s tourney, the field grew to 68 schools matching the concurrent men’s tournament and for the first time used the famous moniker “March Madness” to brand the event. The training facilities such as weight rooms were also improved.