As of late, Women’s sports are becoming more popular to watch, inspiring girls to pursue their dreams. Even though the past is full of discrimination against women in sports, women keep doing the unthinkable to prove people wrong. 

There has always been a significant gap between the viewings of men’s and women’s sports. But more recently, women’s sports have received more investments along with attention bringing in larger audiences to games. The National Research Group (NRG) and Ampere Analysis discovered that almost 40% of Gen Z sports fans are now more interested in watching women’s sports. This number has grown intensely, which is a stark difference from the viewership before. After years of receiving discouragement from the lack of attention, some women are finally receiving global inspiration to be the best in their sport. 

America’s first professional sports league was the National Association of Baseball Players, founded in 1858. However, the first professional female sports league was the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, created in 1943. It took an overwhelmingly long amount of time for women to be accepted to participate in professional sports. 

Ever since then, sports teams have exceeded their performance by bringing in larger crowds each time. On Aug. 30, 2023, the University of Nebraska Volleyball team set the world record for the largest attendance at a women’s sporting event. This record was set when 92,003 people attended the game, which was held at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. This event set goals for young women all around the world and motivated them to achieve higher. The University of Iowa Women’s Basketball team recently sold over 52,000 seat tickets to a game held in Kinnick Stadium. This game helped a charity exhibition that directed profits to the Iowa Children’s Hospital. An Iowa Women’s Basketball player, Caitlin Clark, has become a major and dynamic influence on sports. Young athletes aspire for her mental strength, sportsmanship and, of course, her ability to shoot incredible three-pointers. She contributed to a record-breaking 9.9 million views to the NCAA March Madness finals game, bringing more viewers than the recent NBA, MLB, and NFL games. Clark has greatly impacted the attraction not only to women’s basketball but to women’s sports overall. 

Women in sports have always been historically underrepresented, but the spotlight is just beginning to change. Women are revealing their resilience and strength continually every time they step on a field or a court. These events have encouraged the younger generation to step up and show their potential to the world. The growth of the audiences at women’s sporting events has greatly affected gender equality amongst athletes around the world.