The Surging Popularity of Women’s Sports
By
Will Brown
Contributor Updated: 11 October 2024
Will Brown Contributor
William Brown is a Content Writer with strong expertise in US and global gambling industry trends. Having covered the local sports betting market since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, William approaches his gambling guides with passion and diligence. He is a keen player of online slots, blackjack, and a regular sports bettor.
Women’s Sports
In the last five years, the popularity of women’s sports has experienced an unprecedented surge, with audience numbers growing worldwide to showcase a brand-new frontier of athletics. There are several reasons for this rapid growth, with pundits crediting a cultural shift toward recognizing the prowess of female athletes. In this guide, we’ve explored this popularity boom, including popular international contests and leagues, as well as its impact on society and the industry worldwide.
Intro to the Increased Popularity of Women’s Sports
Before we can break down the present-day growing interest in women’s professional sports, we have shared a brief history of women’s sports competitions. From there, we’ve looked at recent examples of women’s sports leagues and competitions that indicate surging audience interest.
We have then looked at how society is impacted by the rising popularity of women’s sports, including some growing trends in the industry. To round out this guide, we’ve looked at how the future of women’s sports will be shaped based on further investment and corporate sponsorship.
- Brief History of Women’s Sports
- Examples of Popular Women’s Sports
- Impacts on Society
- Growing Trends
- Investment and Sponsorship
A Brief History of Women’s Professional Sports
The story of women’s professional sports in the world has been a long and arduous one. While men’s professional competitions began to grow in the 19th and 20th centuries, women were discouraged from pursuing athletics. In many instances, women were banned from attending sporting events, let alone competing in them.
One of the most notable exceptions to this was the Olympics, with the 1900 Paris Games being the first to permit women’s participation in sports such as tennis, golf, and yachting. In 1928, the Amsterdam Olympics introduced women’s track and field events, and since then, more sports have been opened for women.
There are some other key milestones on the journey for women’s equality in sports. One of the most significant in the USA was the passing of Title IX in 1972. This law mandated equal opportunities for women in federally funded programs such as sports, which supported a new generation of female athletes.
The following year, a highly-publicized tennis match involving Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs was dubbed “The Battle of the Sexes”, with King routinely subject to sexist abuse from her male opponent. King was ultimately victorious, and the event was a pivotal moment that attested to the athletic skills of females.
In 1978, The Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL) became the first professional women’s basketball league in the United States. This was later replaced by the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 1996. In 1991, the first FIFA Women’s World Cup was held, which provided an international stage for female soccer players.
In recent years, tennis has been a major draw for audiences watching women’s sport, with Serena and Venus Williams’ dominance attracting new fans and changing how women athletes were perceived. The Olympics also has created female athletic stars overnight, with two recent examples being swimmer Katie Ledecky and gymnast Simone Biles.
Recent Examples of Surging Popularity in Women’s Sports
The best way to communicate the increased popularity of women’s sports is to highlight the leagues and events that have undergone surging audience figures and participation rates. Whether it’s the Olympics, tennis, or international soccer, the hunger for women’s events seems insatiable.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was the most popular women’s soccer tournament of all time. An average of more than 25,000 fans attended the first-round matches, which was a 29% increase from the previous FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. The final, which saw Spain play England, attracted a global audience of over 100 million viewers, making it the most popular women’s sporting event of the year.
National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
The NWSL, founded in 2012, is a US sports league that is also aligned with the trends of increased popularity of women’s sports. Average audience attendance has steadily grown, with games often hosting crowds of more than 25,000 people. Regular season attendance has now surpassed one million people, marking a 42% increase year-over-year. It has attracted high-profile investors such as Natalie Portman and Serena Williams and has secured broadcast deals with major networks.
Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)
The WNBA has been considered to be a pioneer in women’s professional sports since it was launched in the 1990s. In 2024 alone, viewership figures surpassed last year’s average by 226 percent, with roughly 1.4 million people tuning in per game. The league is also experiencing rapid growth, with two more teams set to debut in the coming years. This is an example of how long-term investments in women’s sports and partnering with major networks can produce seismic results. This popularity has seen all betting sites offering WNBA markets as standard. If they’re not offering odds, they’re not worth signing up to.
Women’s Tennis Association (WTA)
Tennis has long been considered to be at the forefront of gender equality in sports. Stars such as Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, and Coco Gauff are cultural icons well beyond the tennis court, and in recent years, prize money for women’s Grand Slam tournaments has neared equality with the men’s competition prizes. With a record-breaking one billion people watching WTA games in 2023, the WTA appears to have found the answer to how to increase the popularity of women’s sports.
The Olympics
Since 1900, the Olympic Games have played a crucial role in the advancement of women’s professional sports. There are now an even amount of events for men’s and women’s competitions, with two women-only competitions including rhythmic gymnastics and artistic swimming. In 2024, the Games achieved a landmark milestone, reaching gender parity for male and female athletes. This means 50% of participants are women. Attendance and viewership ratings have surged for women’s events too, with more women watching the games than ever before.
Impacts on Society
The rise of women’s professional sports is not just a major win for the athletics industry. It has major ramifications for society in shifting the perception of women. Sports are lauded as a test of strength, speed, agility, and dominance. By only investing in men’s sports, the capabilities of women can easily be denied or overlooked.
As women continue to excel in traditionally male-dominated sports, cultural perceptions of women’s ability to lead and innovate are reshaped. By challenging gender stereotypes, young girls are encouraged to participate, which has far-reaching impacts on their health and self-esteem. It also educates them on concepts such as teamwork and resilience.
With increased popularity comes increased investment, which leads to additional youth programs and girls’ sports teams. This will create new pipelines for future professional female athletes, which will have a cyclic effect in improving women’s sports in the future. Increased research into women’s sports science will also undoubtedly have an impact on women’s health in society at large.
Economically, the growing popularity of women’s sports creates new opportunities for financial streams, whether it be increased ticket revenues or merchandise sales. By tapping into a demographic that makes up half the population as well as male viewers, there are untold riches to be generated from an investment in women’s sports.
Growing Trends
One of the most notable elements that have emerged from women’s athletics is the prominence of athlete activists. Female athletes in particular have been outspoken in advocating for social causes, which has seen them win more fans and increase attention to their sports. There have also been extensive integrations with social media to enhance this fan-athlete connection.
Particularly, the use of this media has been effective at reaching younger audiences, which is key for any sports league’s survival. Many also find the focus on mental health and welfare a refreshing conversation that has been spearheaded by female athletes including Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka. This has wider ramifications for men’s and women’s sports as well as society.
Future Outlook: Further Investment and Sponsorship
With 2024 gearing up to be a landmark year in the popularity of women’s sports, we expect leagues around the world to attract major financial investments from government and private bodies. Already, leagues such as the WNBA have looked to expand their franchises, providing more sponsorship opportunities.
While 90% of corporate sponsorship funds go to male athletes, we expect that this will shift in favor of women in the coming years. There is also much to be done in the way of equalizing payments and prize money for female athletes. Ultimately, increased investment could result in dedicated facilities for women’s teams rather than sharing facilities with men, which will further improve the performance of women.
