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WCWS Game 2 between Florida State, Oklahoma draws large television numbers

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•06/09/23•

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Photo by Justin Tafoya | NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Women’s sports are growing, and softball is leading the charge. Oklahoma’s win over Florida State in the National Championship on Thursday night drove that point home.

According to ESPN, Game 2 of the 2023 Women’s College World Series Championship Series averaged 1.9 million viewers with a peak audience of 2.3 million. The impressive figure is a slight increase from the 1.58 million views last season when Oklahoma swept Texas to win it all.

People love a winner. This is Oklahoma softball’s third title in three years. The program’s Twitter account has 219,000 followers. For reference, the Oklahoma baseball’s Twitter account barely has a third of that amount.

Oklahoma’s influence can be seen in all of college softball. The Women’s College World Series (14 games) averaged 1.1 million viewers, up 6% from last year across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2. Oklahoma’s impact is visible from the stands, too.

Last season, 24 schools averaged more than 1,000 fans per game, six more programs than five years prior. Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso believes part of the recent increase in interest is due to an unapologetic tendency to celebrate the special moments.

“Because women have worked so hard to get here yet still get judged for those things,” Gasso said on June 6. “That’s the way we play, and that’s what people enjoy. Or you don’t. You either like it or you don’t, but we’re not going to apologize for these players knowing the game and celebrating the right way.”

The statistics show fans like it, and they’re not in the minority. A study by the National Research Group concluded that 30% of sports fans in the US say they’re watching more women’s sports now than they were five years ago.

Women sports are part of the future, and with coaches like Patty Gasso at the helm, the future is in good hands.