WOMEN ON THE RISE

After centuries of being in the shadow of men, women’s sports are finally on the rise.  Women’s sports have always trailed their male counterparts in terms of popularity and support.  It is no secret that has been the result of the lack of representation of women’s sports in the media.   

The media have been a major platform for promoting and showcasing sporting events to the public.  When sporting events first came to cable television in the mid 1900’s, more major sports leagues were exposed to the public.  Because of this, the major sports such as baseball, football, and basketball grew more and more popular.  Of course, all of these are male dominant sports.   

Since then, women’s sports have grown exponentially in popularity.  However, we cannot give all the credit to cable television.  Emerging technology and the rise of both digital and social media are major contributors to the growth of women’s sports.  The rise of new media provides these leagues with convenient viewing opportunities such as free streaming and subscription.  This non-traditional way of viewing sports has lead not only to the gaining of a large consumer base, but is also gaining international attention as well.    Having the ability to stream sporting events via Internet gives consumers ample opportunity to access these events from anywhere as long as there is wifi availability.  

 

Social media has also contributed tremendously to the rise in women’s sports.  Social media has become so popular in today’s generation, and is used as a tool to distribute content, advertisement, and consumer engagement.  Social media is the quickest and most convenient source of sports content.  One of the most distinctive qualities of social media is that it serves as a community where fans can engage with athletes, sports organizations, and even with one another.  Another benefit of social media use is simply that it is free. Money has been the main reason why sports organizations choose not to promote women’s sports.  There is only but so much money that can be put into advertisements, and in the end it always went to promoting male sports.  However, with social media, now organizations are able to advertise and show their content free of charge.  Even some female athletes promote themselves and their leagues in order to increase fan engagement. Some of the most popular social media outlets such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, are all used to promote female athletes and women’s sporting events and increasing fan engagement.  

The Golden Age of women sports is just the beginning. In a few decades, women’s sports will eventually become just as popular if not more popular than men’s sports all around the world.