ATP elite to ATP top 128 is a far smaller gap than low NBA playoff seed to NCAA tournament bubble team. You keep bringing up Kevin Durant being old and unable to run with college players, which is a) probably not true, b) irrelevant because 27 or whatever year old still 100% in his physical prime Devin Booker + 3 others will be on the court at the same time, c) does not properly weigh effect of KD being able to easily beat the man tasked with defending him for a great look at the basket literally every time he touches the ball on offense.
Yes you are absolutely correct about this. If the college names were replaced with random boring sports organization names no one would care. Genuine emotional connection with the branding is essential for driving spectator engagement with athletic competition.
Of course that's correct. That goes with any athletic competition. Its why a 4 division English soccer club can be successful. Its not the best players in the world. Its not even close. But they form a bond with their community/ area and people support them. The supporters know, they are not watching the best players. Thats not the point. When it comes to lower level team sports they still are great at having competitive games, and forming bonds within that community. In fact many people who love college sports or lower level soccer teams like them more than the big pro sports leagues. They have a bond with them. The level of play? Thats secondary. As long as the games being played are competitive, and fun.
Some people have brought up the NCAA women's basketball tournament this year. Apparently the drama surrounding that final made it have a higher rating than the NBA final this year. What does that tell us as " sports" fans? Well, its obviously not always about the " quality" of play.
Ok, we will probably never agree on the NBA stuff (Kevin Durant is a 34 year old 6'10" guy, he's not running all night with a college kid), and I doubt we will ever know the real answer...
But we all seem to agree that the drama surrounding, and connection people feel for, college teams is what elevates the interest (and thus revenue) beyond any other amateur sports of a similar level. So how does this bring us back to women's tennis?
Look, I like women's tennis. I watch it just as much as, if not even slightly more than, the mens side. But apparently some people aren't impressed by the level. That's not an issue for me, because I've never played tennis at a high level and don't really "see" that, but I sort of understand it because watching women's soccer is painful for me (as I can see how low the level is). Even all of this seems secondary, though, as the discussion above tells us that drama/characters/connections are what can truly drive interest.
And that's what I think the real issue is at the moment. The players currently at the top of the women's game aren't that compelling. Swiatek seems very nice, and her tennis game is nice to watch, but her personality (or lack thereof) can be a bit of a limiting factor. Barty was also similar in my opinion (a fine player, but not super interesting). Then you have a Sabalenka and Rybakina, both with "troubling" passports (and yes, I know Rybakina plays for Kazakstan, but whatever), and both somewhat hard to access off the court. I actually think Sabalenka is a pretty compelling watch, with her drama and huge hitting, but it's hardly must see TV.
These things come and go in cycles, though. When Seffi Graf was at her peak, she obviously generated a lot of attention. Ditto Serena (and Venus + Serena). Even Osaka seemed to be drawing a lot of attention to the women's game (whether you like her personality or not, she was compelling).
Anyway, all of this is just to say that, in my opinion, things like match scheduling aren't the issue right now. Heck, if you put a women's match in the showcase night spot, and it's a stinker, you could do more harm than good. Everyone needs to just relax and stop forcing the issue. Someone will emerge that will bring the women's game back up to the level of the men again (in terms of popularity). And dominance has an appeal all it's own; if Swiatek keeps racking up slams and the number gets high enough, she will become a draw no matter what.