Women’s sports are ascendant. The fervor around the recent U.S. Women’s World Cup victory made it clear to anyone that had not been tracking the team’s dominance over the last several tournaments that greatness and commercial viability of athletics isn’t reserved for men’s sports. Locally, the WNBA Seattle Storm won its third championship in 2018, and was one of three teams in the league that has seen attendance rise year over year.
But it’s not all good news. The World Cup spotlight afforded the players a platform to highlight the inequity in pay, media coverage and sponsorships that plagues Women’s athletics. Many leagues struggle to survive, paths to professional careers are stunted, and even the most successful athletes are forced to play grueling schedules to earn a living, putting their health and careers at risk.
Join us as we consider the long road that has been paved by female athletes to get to where they are today, and the unique challenges women are working to overcome in sports at the collegiate and professional levels.
