Coverage of women’s sports has been long overdue. Since the introduction of televised sports in 1939, the media has predominantly focused on men. Viewership of men’s sports has held a tight grip on audiences for decades with few acknowledgements by audience and media alike made to women who also had the skill and merit to compete professionally. 

While there has been a recent increase in viewership, the airtime is negligible when compared to men’s sports. A study by Purdue and other accredited institutions found that 95% ESPN’s coverage focused on men’s sports. On top of that, women’s sports rarely garner attention unless it is during momentous events such as the Olympics, March Madness or the FIFA World Cup. Unfortunately, even when they do get coverage, female athletes are more scrutinized than male counterparts. The University of Wisconsin-Madison reinforced the fact that when women get covered, their physical appearances and personal lives are emphasized as much as their athletic lives, noting “Despite recent progress, the sexualization of female athletes in the media illegitimatizes female athletes and women’s sports.”

Fortunately, women are making a name for themselves in sports media, even if it is through unconventional means. From sponsorships to late night talk shows, women are working to put themselves into the spotlight when regular sports media will not. Women have been making a name for themselves primarily through social media. 

Ilona Maher has captured the hearts of many through social media. 

“I think Ilona Maher is amazing,” Aksanaa Sakthi (’25), a tennis player on the Madison’s girls team said. “She’s strong, funny, and uses her platform to break stereotypes, making rugby more interesting and showing how powerful female athletes can be.”

Maher is a rugby player on Team USA’s Women’s National Team known for her candid videos, featuring comedic awkward moments, rugby and self-confidence, especially in the form of body positivity. Her efforts to use social media to not only talk about her life, but her sport, have pushed women’s rugby into the spotlight prompting other public figures such as Hank Green to say he was “hyped for women’s rugby sevens this year.”

“I think these athlete influencers have so much impact online because they are speaking about real issues that are being faced in sports today, like equal pay,” Cozette Humen (’26) said. “I think by these influencers being online, they can reach way more of an audience and can reach people who really care about these topics and want to make a difference.”

With issues like these coming to light, it creates a new side to sports that is more engaging and personal to viewers.

Since 2019, coverage of women’s sports has nearly tripled. Amazon Prime, ESPN+, Peacock and Paramount+ are among some of the platforms that projected almost 22,000 hours of women’s sports in 2022, covering a variety of sports. The streamed coverage increased by 5,124 from 2021. In 2022, 15% of coverage was focused on women’s sports with the percentage expected to grow to 20% by 2025, much of which may be attributed to March Madness in women’s college basketball with athletes like Caitlin Clark and Paige Becker making headlines. The increase in coverage looks promising, however, coverage still has a ways to go until equality is achieved in the sports world.