Women’s sports are sports played by women and girls, at amateur and professional levels. Participation has existed throughout history, but rates and activities vary by nation, era and stage of economic development [1]. In the sports media ecosystem the term also points to how women’s sport is covered next to men’s sport on television [2][3].
Key points
- Women have taken part in sport throughout history, but rates and activities vary by nation, era and level of economic development [1].
- Until roughly 1870 women’s activities were mostly informal and recreational, with no rules codes [1].
- In the United States, Title IX of 1972 bars sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, which includes school and college sport [4][5].
- Research on televised sports news finds that women’s sport gets far less coverage than its participation would suggest [2].
Origin
“Women’s sports” is a descriptive term with no single coiner. Women’s competition is old: before each ancient Olympic Games a separate women’s event, the Heraean Games, was held at Olympia and dedicated to the goddess Hera [1]. Until roughly 1870, however, women’s activities tended to be informal and recreational and emphasised physical activity rather than competition [1].
The modern legal frame in the United States came with the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX states that no person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance [4]. Scholars of gender and media, notably Cheryl Cooky and her co-authors, have since tracked how sport is covered on television, in a study that now spans 1989 to 2024 [3].
How it works in sports media
The Gender in Televised Sport reports measure how much airtime men’s and women’s sport receive on local news and sports highlight shows. A 2013 study of Los Angeles news stations and ESPN’s SportsCenter found the coverage of women’s sport was the lowest ever recorded, even as participation of girls and women rose at high school, college and professional level [2]. The authors argued that the news media build audiences for men’s sport while silencing and marginalising women’s sport [2].
The 2026 report on 35 years of data points to a “siloing” effect. High-quality coverage of women’s sport exists on emergent and niche platforms, while men’s sports remain the default topic of mainstream coverage; the authors warn that this may limit audience-building for women’s sport [3].
Examples
- The Heraean Games at Olympia, a women’s event held before the ancient Olympic Games [1].
- US school and college sport after Title IX, where sex discrimination in athletics is barred [4][5].
- Televised news and highlight shows, where women’s sport appears mainly when rare and record-breaking moments occur [3].
Common questions
Is “women’s sports” a different industry from sport in general?
It is part of the same ecosystem, but it is often treated as a separate category by media, which is the siloing described above [3].
What did Title IX change?
It made sex discrimination unlawful in federally funded education programs, and school and college sport falls under it [4][5].
Why does coverage matter?
Researchers argue that the amount and quality of coverage shapes the audiences that sport can build, and with them its commercial value [2][3].
Related terms
- Sports sponsorship — how brands pay for access to teams and athletes.
- Fan engagement — how audiences are built and kept.
- Name, image and likeness (NIL) — the college athlete rules that opened income to women athletes.
- Sports media rights — the deals that decide what gets broadcast.
- Viewership — the audience numbers behind coverage.
Read more on Play of Values
- The Year of Caitlin Clark
- Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese: the WNBA rivalry
- Media revolutions in the sports ecosystem
Sources
- Wikipedia. (2025). Women's sports. Wikimedia Foundation. Link
- Cooky, C., Messner, M. A., & Hextrum, R. H. (2013). Women play sport, but not on TV: A longitudinal study of televised news media. Communication & Sport, 1(3), 203–230. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167479513476947
- Cooky, C., Musto, M., Tworek, M., Newell, M., & Fung, A. (2026). A silo of their own: The compartmentalization of media coverage of women's sports, 1989–2024. Communication & Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795261480698
- U.S. Congress. (1972). Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX, 20 U.S.C. § 1681. Legal Information Institute. Link
- U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Athletics, 34 C.F.R. § 106.41. Legal Information Institute. Link