Destination Cleveland's branding, alongside the NCAA Women's Final Four logo, appeared outside the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.Photo: Bob Perkoski
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CLEVELAND—You've likely seen these stats by now, but they're worth reiterating: April 7's NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game between No. 1 seeds Iowa and South Carolina scored 18.9 million viewers, becoming the most-viewed women’s college basketball game ever and ESPN platforms’ most-viewed college basketball game (men’s or women’s) on record. And for the first time in history, more people watched the women’s championship game than the men’s.
These stats speak to the star power of players like Iowa's Caitlin Clark (who this year became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball), LSU's Angel Reese, and University of Connecticut's Paige Bueckers, who have generated major interest in women's basketball. The three Women's Final Four games, which took place in Cleveland, averaged 13.8 million viewers and took over the city's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Ultimately, the Gamecocks came out on top and defeated Iowa 87-75.
“Cleveland was the epicenter of the sports world as thousands visited and a combined 40.5 million viewers watched a historic weekend of women’s college basketball,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. “When Cleveland hosts events, we strive to go above and beyond. I’m proud that our local effort drove big crowds. We met or surpassed benchmarks set by previous hosts for the Final Four’s five ancillary events, including Tourney Town and Super Saturday Practice.”
The brand activations and events filled the FieldHouse's Gateway Plaza and the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, where the Women's Final Four Tourney Town presented by Capital One set up shop. The free, open-to-the-public festival was jampacked with special appearances, interactive games, giveaways, historical Women's Final Four team displays, photo ops, basketball contests, food, and merch.
Keep scrolling to see inside Tourney Town and other Women's Final Four-adjacent events...
"We wanted our first stop to be the Women’s Final Four," said Tara Wilson, founder of Fierce Lab and Tara Wilson Agency. "With all the history-making moments in women’s sports this year, it felt like the right moment to align with and share the Fierce Lab story. Plus, the Final Four weekend presented an opportunity where college women and female leaders were converging in one location. We know our mission aligns with the values of women’s sport, and we felt there was no better moment than this one to share our mission.”
