The Rising Tide: A New Era for Women’s Sports Coverage
Veteran sports columnist Christine Brennan recalls a time when advocating for women’s sports coverage in the 1990s was met with laughter from male colleagues. “It was absolutely infuriating,” she says. Fast forward to today, and the landscape has dramatically shifted. Entire media outlets are now dedicated to centering women’s sports, experiencing rapid growth and taking ownership of their coverage, particularly as we approach the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
A Flourishing Ecosystem
Alongside the historic growth of women’s athletics, the media ecosystem supporting it is thriving. Outlets like TOGETHXR, The GIST, Just Women’s Sports, The IX Sports, GOALS, and Good Game with Sarah Spain are expanding their reach and influence. Brennan notes that mainstream sports media largely missed the opportunity to champion women’s sports, but is encouraged by these newer outlets “doing a job that should have been done by mainstream sports media.”
Owning the Narrative
University of Michigan sport management professor Ketra Armstrong believes this influx of women-led outlets is “liberating,” allowing women athletes to “own their stories and not waiting for it to be filtered through any traditional lens.” This sentiment fueled the creation of Just Women’s Sports.
Founder Haley Rosen, a former professional soccer player, realized the difficulty of finding quality coverage of her sport after retirement. “Everything I was seeing just felt nothing like the world I had known,” Rosen explains. “It felt very young, very pink and glitter, a lot of lifestyle content. And I was just like, where are the sports?” Just Women’s Sports began as an Instagram account in 2020 and has since become a prominent industry outlet, partnering with brands like Nike and Amazon Prime. Rosen emphasizes the importance of covering women’s sports with the same intensity and seriousness as men’s, stating, “These women are the best athletes in the world, competing at the highest level. And I think we have to treat them as such.”
Filling a Void: The GIST and Beyond
The GIST, a Toronto-based “fan-first sports media brand,” was born from a similar frustration. Co-founder Ellen Hyslop, a passionate sports fan, often faced the assumption that her gender disqualified her from genuine sports interest. Founded with friends Jacie deHoop and Roslyn McLarty, The GIST aimed to create a space for those excluded by traditional sports media. Today, it boasts roughly 1 million newsletter subscribers – nearly 50% growth in the last two years – primarily Gen Z and millennial women. Hyslop believes, “Sports are supposed to be for everyone. They really do have the ability to unite people.”
Momentum and Investment
Sarah Spain, host of the daily women’s sports podcast Good Game, attributes the industry’s growth to a combination of social media, the impact of WNBA star Caitlin Clark, and the success of the women’s national soccer team, describing it as “a very organic and natural push for more women’s sports coverage.” She also highlights the critical role of media attention in the success of any professional league, noting that women’s sports have historically suffered from a lack of it. “There was this blaming of the product of women’s sports, without understanding the incredible ecosystem and infrastructure that was lifting up and bringing fans back over and over again to men’s sports,” she says. “Now we’re finally catching up in terms of investment.”
The Olympics: A Showcase for Women’s Sports
The Olympics have consistently demonstrated that increased media attention translates to enthusiastic viewership for women’s sports. The Milan Cortina Games are no exception, with stars like Lindsey Vonn, Breezy Johnson, and Chloe Kim dominating headlines. Spain emphasizes, “The Olympics are the shining star for women’s sports coverage that proves if you tell people that there’s value, and you give them the information, and the nuance, and the context to care, that they will be die hard for it.”
Challenges and the Path Forward
Despite the growth, women’s sports media still represents a “very small piece of the pie,” according to Armstrong. Northwestern University professor Craig LaMay cautions that growth doesn’t guarantee long-term sustainability, as coverage decisions are often driven by business considerations. However, companies like TOGETHXR, founded by four star athletes, are boldly proclaiming, “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports,” and seeing success, with over $6 million in merchandise sales.
Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple are also expanding access to women’s sports, moving beyond traditional television. Danette Leighton, CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation, emphasizes that this progress is the result of decades of work, stating, “It takes generations to make generational change. This is really a tipping point.”
Further Reading: ESPN Women’s Sports, Just Women’s Sports
