Breakthroughs and recognition ...

For those of you out there that haven’t taken notice yet, woman’s sports are getting to be very, very popular. Every week the exposure that woman’s sports receives on major media outlets gets bigger and broader. Games that used to be shown on second and third tier viewing channels are now on at prime time on all the major networks including ESPN and FOX. Popular demand drives exposure and the demand is high. In an arena that was once exclusively dominated by woman’s soccer we can now enjoy WNBA and Woman’s College basketball, woman’s softball, gymnastics and lacrosse as well as a host of other team and individual competitions. In short, the girl’s game has arrived and the advertising money is rolling in. 

I have to admit there were times in the past when I seriously felt the WNBA would never come close to matching the popularity of the men’s league and although it stills falls behind in revenue generation and viewership the woman’s league has come leaps and bounds in just a few short years. Ten years ago many of us could not have named three WNBA stars but now the names of Sue Bird, Lisa Leslie, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart are household names. There are WNBA teams in all the major markets to include New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The Woman’s United States Olympic Basketball Teams have won gold medals in the last SEVEN Olympic Games going back to 1996. In a sport once dominated by Russian woman The U.S. team is now unmatched. To put it mildly, The U.S. women own international basketball. 

Woman’s college basketball has grown in popularity no less then the professionals. There are nightly matchups all through the season whose popularity equals that of the men’s game. The Woman’s Final Four is just as exciting as the men’s tournament and just as widely viewed as well. College stars like Paige Bueckers(UConn), Caitlin Clark(Iowa) and Angel Reese(LSU) command NIL endorsement deals worth millions of dollars and have legions of adoring fans. What was once considered a non revenue sport for many colleges and universities is now a money making gold mine. The games are exciting, fast paced and competitive. Once you see a few games you’ll be hooked as I am. The girl’s game has definitely taken off and flying high.  

International competition is of course not just about woman’s basketball. Woman’s soccer is HUGE and getting bigger every year. Besides the national teams originating from just about every country on the globe there are professional leagues in England, Europe, The United States and South America that rival men’s leagues in popularity. The once dominant Team USA is now over shadowed by England, Spain, Sweden and Australia. The last FIFA Women’s World Cup held jointly in Australia and New Zealand generated almost two billion U.S. dollars in national revenue for the two host countries. Quite a sum! Not only is woman’s soccer immensely popular it’s also a massive revenue stream which in the end makes for an extremely successful relationship. 

I suppose that in the end it’s all about money right? I don’t think woman’s sports would have ever gotten off the ground with out the internet and streaming media. These two entertainment mediums have allowed woman’s sports to go main stream. For years I think that the traditional media establishments resisted increasing exposure to woman’s sports due to the lack of advertising revenue. As woman’s sports became more and more watchable on the internet and social media its popularity grew. Eventually more traditional outlets realized it’s monetary value and provided a broader platform. Its pretty much a “follow the money” moment in women’s sports history but for what it’s worth I consider it a very important advancement. Woman’s sports are here to stay and I couldn’t be happier. 

I suppose it’s important to note when talking about women’s sports I should mention that women have also entered the world of the men’s competition. There are now woman coaches in all the major leagues including the NBA, Major League Baseball and yes even in The NFL. There are woman referees and umpires in The NBA and NFL. Woman also represent a very large portion of team management and ownership across the board and have become an integral part of just about every major sport both professionally and at the collegiate level. Fifty years ago this would have been unheard of but we live in a new world. It’s not just about the men’s teams anymore. You go girl!!

Don’t look now, but a recent rumor discussed the possibility of a major international female pop star being interested in purchasing a professional sports team in The United States. Knowing that the cost of a purchase like this, even a partial buy in to a team, runs in the hundreds of millions, perhaps several billion dollars, I can’t think of who this star would be but I could certainly guess!! Play on I SAY!!!

Kev

Kev's Corner Our Staffs Weekly Sports perspective

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