The NC State women’s basketball team defeated Kansas State to advance to its fourth straight Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 21. The win was important for the season, but it was also reflective of how transformative this program is in the Raleigh area.
Women’s sports have long faced hardships that men’s sports haven’t had to deal with. From a massive gap in pay to longer, more strenuous individual schedules for athletes, there is no shortage of hardships faced by women’s sports.
While no one team will put an end to these hardships, the NC State women’s basketball team is rejuvenating interest in women’s basketball across North Carolina. That much was evident when Reynolds Coliseum hit 105.8 decibels when senior center Elissa Cunane checked out for the final time on her home floor.
“It was extremely loud,” said junior center Camille Hobby. “Just look around, you see everybody jumping around like little kids and adults just going crazy adds to the atmosphere and just makes it a lot more fun.”
However, it hasn’t always been this way in Raleigh, much less in the national landscape.
Last season, photos circulated of the women’s weight rooms and facilities at the NCAA Tournament compared to the men’s. According to both Hobby and graduate forward Kayla Jones, this season has been better in terms of bridging that gap, but there is still work to be done in that regard.
“Sometimes women’s sports don’t get the same respect as men’s,” Hobby said. “But I think they are doing a better job of trying to be more inclusive and diverse in the things that they do. Like Kayla [Jones] said, this is a step, but I think there could still be more things in the future for us.”
Hobby went on to lay out specific plans for what can be done about fixing the disparity between men’s and women’s event coverage.
“Just having support,” Hobby said. “We’ve seen in the past when women’s games are on TV, people watch them. So more games need to be on TV, not ESPN+ but ESPN. Have us on there and give us a chance to perform and show that we’re great. And we’re some of the best athletes that there are, that there can be.”
Hobby’s point continues to be proven with each season of collegiate and professional women’s basketball. According to Her Hoop Stats, the top opening weekend game in this season’s NCAA Tournament saw a 57% increase in viewership compared to last season’s top game. The jump was approximately a 360,000 viewer increase.
That kind of growth is even more felt in the City of Oaks.
Before head coach Wes Moore took over the program, NC State was floundering, finishing the year at 17-17. In Moore’s first year as head coach, the team jumped out to a 25-8 record, making the NCAA Tournament. In each year since, Moore continues to build the program by seeking out high-character individuals.
“We’re just so blessed. I mean, I’m shocked,” Moore said. “I look at this place selling out about every game, and it’s just — you know, we’re very blessed. And it goes all to these players, the student-athletes that have been here four years, five years, and took it from where we had a lot of empty seats to where now it’s just an unbelievable atmosphere. And I think they feed off of that night after night.”
Going back to Cunane’s freshman season, Reynolds had an average of 3,209 fans in attendance per home game out of a max seating capacity of 5,500. That’s a 58.3% home attendance rating. In Cunane’s fourth year, the average fan attendance increased to 4,704 fans per home game, an 85.6% rating.
While the overall viewership of women’s sports is up, there is little doubt that the women’s basketball team is rejuvenating basketball in Raleigh.
“The crowd makes it so easy to get excited and have confidence,” Moore said. “And we went out to eat last night, the whole team, and to dinner, and when we walked out of the restaurant everyone stood up and applauded. It’s amazing what they have done in this community. And part of it is winning. I mean, there’s no doubt about that. But part of it, you just saw what kind of young ladies they are, and so everybody’s really been unbelievable.”
