OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Odicci Alexander became an overnight sensation at the Women’s College World Series.
James Madison’s dynamic, lovably humble pitcher was well known among die-hard softball fans, but she introduced herself to a national audience by hosting a full game to help her unset squad stun tournament favorites Oklahoma in the opening game earlier this month. She threw another full game in a victory over the state of Oklahoma the next day and a star was born.
When her team was eliminated in the semifinals, Alexander earned a standing ovation when she left the field. Fans who watched on television and on streaming devices regretted their departure – as did ESPN, which the WCWS has been broadcasting since 2000.
Nick Dawson, ESPN’s vice president of programming for college sports, called her rise and struggles with Oklahoma “the overarching story of the event,” and said it set the tone for a week to remember.
“It just worked out as the dominant thrower in the opening game of the Women’s College World Series against arguably the largest offensive softball team in the history of the sport,” said Dawson. “That’s good luck for me. It just falls into your lap. The victory is that we are positioned to cover the event because of our commitment. “
Coverage of Division I women’s sports was particularly in the spotlight in 2021, and the record-breaking WCWS was just the latest example of growing interest – and growing demands for a fairer playing field compared to men.
ESPNs has been experimenting in the last few years with showing more women’s sports on its various platforms and good numbers have caused the network to become more aggressive. In the four most popular college sports for women – basketball, softball, gymnastics, and volleyball – TV viewers increased significantly compared to 2019. The network expanded its volleyball coverage this year to include every game of the championship on an ESPN platform.
Walt Disney Co. owns ABC and ESPN, and Dawson said ESPN is pushing to get more sports programming on ABC spots on Saturday afternoons. That year, ABC aired basketball games for women and a softball game for women for the first time.
The women’s gymnastics final on ABC reached an average of 808,000 viewers, an increase of 510% over the 2019 final on ESPNU.
Waves of increased exposure are felt. According to social media analytics site Social Blade, Alexander gained more than 50,000 Instagram followers within a week of beating Oklahoma. She has since signed a professional contract with USSSA Pride.
“There were enough places this story was told this time that it reached a certain critical mass,” said Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture. “It invaded the culture. That’s the important part of this story.”
Alexander’s story resonated on various levels. She is a black player in a mostly white sport who beat the eventual national champion while playing for an upstart school.
“I’m sure there have been great stories filled with all of these great narrative flourishes that have been around for years in women’s sports,” Thompson said, “but people who would have loved these stories never hear them, because there is none. Not much space was given. “
The average attendance for the three championship final games between Oklahoma and Florida State was a record 1,840,000, up 15% from 2019. The average of the 17-game WCWS was 1,203,000, up 10% from 2019 and numbers comparable to those of the Men’s College World Series in 2019.
“After all, there’s the realization that if you show it, people will see it,” Thompson said. “And there was a lot of opposition to women’s sports, probably because a lot of the people who run the media, a lot of people who run the various sports venues, etc. just assumed they couldn’t get the numbers they wanted.”
As viewership increased, the coaches took advantage of the wider platform to express themselves.
Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said changes are needed to ensure that as the sport grows in popularity, positive progress is made. Pointing out her problems with the WCWS format, she said adding days, eliminating duplicate headings, and making sure games end at reasonable times were among the changes being considered. While ESPN and the NCAA are discussing these issues, the NCAA Division I Softball Committee oversees the format and planning of the event.
The ratings were also high in the women’s basketball Final Four. The championship game drew 4,077,000 spectators – the highest total since 2014 and an increase of 9% over 2019. The semi-finals averaged 2,850,000 spectators, the best numbers since 2012 and an increase of 20% over 2019. The Final Four -Weekend numbers increased 14% overall.
The Kentucky-Texas volleyball championship game averaged 696,000 viewers, up 28% from 2019. The Kentucky win was the most watched TV show on ESPN2 in April.
Growth includes the number of sports that are exposed. ESPN added ice hockey, field hockey and cross country to its women’s sports championships schedule this spring, bringing the total number of women’s championships the network broadcasts to 15.
Dawson said ESPN will remain aggressive in expanding program options for women’s sports. Thompson said that made sense.
“For women’s sport there is a lot, a lot, a lot of room for a lot, a lot, a lot of growth,” he said at the top of my list. “
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