Record-breaking viewership, attendance mark WCWS

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Women's College World Series has set viewership and attendance records. ESPN said in a news release that the average of 1.3 million viewers across 15 games on its platforms was the most-watched World Series ever, surpassing the record set in 2021. Game 3 of the championship series, Texas' 10-4 win over Texas Tech for its first national title, was ESPN's most watched NCAA softball game ever with 2.4 million viewers. The previous high was 2.3 million for the 2007 Game 3 between Arizona and Tennessee. Games 1 and 2 both set championship series records with 2.1 million viewers each. Overall World Series viewership was up 24% from last year. Oklahoma City's Devon Field, the site that will host softball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, hosted the most-attended World Series ever dating back to the first one in 1982. In all, 119,778 fans attended, with a session average of 11,978. There were three session attendance records, including for the decisive Game 3 of the championship series. Session 4, which included Texas's 4-2 win over Oklahoma and Texas Tech's 3-1 victory over UCLA, set the record for any session with 12,595 fans. The numbers come on the heels of the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League's partnership with Major League Baseball. The attention was heightened for several reasons. Texas is the nation's second-largest state by population, and two teams from there played in the championship series. Texas and Texas Tech earned attention by beating Oklahoma, which had won four straight national titles. And Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, who signed a $1 million-plus NIL deal before the season and another during the World Series, got the Red Raiders to the final.