The rise of women’s sports—triumphs, challenges and the road ahead

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—"This is the first time watching college basketball where I know more girls than guys,” NBA legend Kevin Garnett remarked on his podcast, KG Certified. 

“Women’s college basketball is … electric. It is blowing the guy’s game out of the water.” 

Though Garnett’s comment referred to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in March, the electricity he felt was far from a short-lived surge. The world of female athletes, which has always been fueled by passion, skill and resilience, is today enjoying unprecedented visibility—and momentum.

In October, game five of the WNBA Finals was the most-watched finals game in 25 years. Throughout the season, league standouts, especially Caitlin Clark, were often in the news.

The uptick in interest extends beyond basketball. Stars from soccer’s World Cup and women’s gymnastics are frequent newsmakers. In 2024, two new volleyball professional leagues—the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) and League One Volleyball—launched, bringing the total number of active U.S. leagues to three. 

Media outlets, including ESPN and Disney+, have expanded their coverage of women’s sports. 

Historical context and Title IX 

Over the sweep of history, societal attitudes toward women’s physical capabilities have limited their participation in sports, says Dr. Linda Borish, professor and chair of WMU’s Department of History and a historian of sports and women’s sports.  

“There was a historical perception that women were not to play and compete,” Borish says. 

However, trailblazers like Gertrude Ederle, who became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926, are among those who famously defied expectations. Ederle’s swim—beating the men’s time by two and a half hours—put women’s physical strength and endurance on display for the world to admire. 

The Olympics, too, have been instrumental, Borish says. From Alice Coachman, the first African American woman to win a gold medal in 1948, to Wilma Rudolph’s record-breaking sprints in the 1960s to 2024 when Simone Biles became the most-decorated U.S. gymnast of all time, the Olympics have provided a prominent platform.

“The appeal of winning has far-ranging consequences,” Borish asserts. “As women have excelled in the Olympics and other competitions, they inspire generations that follow them and drive the push for equality where it’s lacking.”

Despite progress, achieving parity with men’s sports—particularly in media coverage and wages for pros—remains unmet. Title IX, the landmark legislation that passed some 50 years ago, has been one of the crucial drivers for equality. It mandated equal funding for men’s and women’s sports in schools receiving federal funding, significantly boosting opportunities for female athletes.  

Media coverage plays a pivotal role in shaping public perception and interest, too, as seen this past year in the rising renown of women’s basketball, driven by rookie stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.  

Munson and WMU’s women’s basketball coach Shane Clipfell also point to another inflection point in recent times. During the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, University of Oregon player Sedona Prince blasted the unequal training facilities provided to male and female athletes. 

“That incident put the spotlight on our sport and showed the world we deserve better,” says Clipfell, a veteran women’s basketball coach. 

The controversy garnered media scrutiny. It also spurred figures like tennis legend Billie Jean King and Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry to call for change, amplifying the conversation about gender parity. 

“With that spotlight came greater recognition that (the women’s) game is really good,” Clipfell says. 

The follow-on effect is more fans and more media. The 2021 NCAA weight room controversy is in some ways a dual symbol. It shows how far women’s sports have come since the passage of Title IX, with increased recognition, advocacy and public support. It also underscores the unfinished work needed to achieve full parity, particularly in resources, media coverage and cultural attitudes. 

“I’ve witnessed a lot of the growth in the Title IX movement from my time back in the ‘80s coaching in high school, when we used to have hand-me-down uniforms within our program,” Clipfell recalls.  

In the intervening decades, “we’ve closed the gap tremendously,” he says. “But like a lot of our societal issues we are dealing with, there’s still room to grow and still gaps to be filled, but it certainly has come leaps and bounds.” 

Equity in earnings is one of the gaps, reflecting larger societal inequities, Borish says. A prime example is the U.S. women’s national soccer team, which fought for years to achieve equal pay.

“If we pay attention to these changes that are emanating, we should be able to capture it (momentum), and women won’t be an afterthought but a main attraction on the playing field,” she says.

While the surge in attention is heartening and the push for parity must continue, female athletes have long competed for intrinsic reasons, says Logan Case, a WMU senior and one of Munson’s standout players. 

“What’s so great about the resilience of women in sports is we don’t do it for those shiny moments on the TV,” Case says. “We do it because we love it.” ■