Though there was one major caveat, Sunday’s Baylor/Connecticut Women’s Final Four matchup outdrew the latest chapter in the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry.
Connecticut’s win over Baylor in the Women’s NCAA Tournament drew a 2.6 overnight rating on ESPN Sunday night, up 37% from Stanford/Connecticut last year (1.9).
Meanwhile, the Yankees/Red Sox Opening Night game on ESPN2 drew a 2.4 overnight, up 4% from last year’s Phillies/Braves opener (2.3).
Keep in mind that the Yankees/Red Sox game was blacked out in New York and Boston, where regional sports networks YES Network and NESN drew massive local ratings of 10.0 and 19.7, respectively.
Still, Sunday’s preliminary results are impressive for women’s basketball, a sport often perceived as having little to no fan support.
Elsewhere in the Women’s Final Four, Stanford’s win over Oklahoma drew a 1.7 overnight rating, down 6% from Louisville/Oklahoma last year (1.8).
(ESPN)
