Dawn of a New Age: Women taking over in the sports world

Women in sports have unfortunately always played second fiddle to their male counterparts in competition. Whether it be the talent gap between leagues or the viewership rating, women in sports have historically not been shown the same love as their male competitors. However, this gap between the sexes is closing as women rise through the ranks of the sports world. Just this year, the WNBA had a record-breaking season in viewership, averaging 627,000 viewers, making it the most viewed season in 11 years. It also reached over 36 million unique viewers, up 27 percent from 2022 and the highest it’s ever been since 2008. Even in the College realm, just last season, the NCAA Women’s Championship between LSU and Iowa became the most-viewed college basketball game in history on ESPN. Stepping outside the basketball scene, women have been taking over college football. Haley Van Voorhis made history when she became the first woman to play an NCAA football game at a position other than kicker, playing safety against Juniata in the first quarter. In the 48-7 home victory for Shenandoah University, Haley recorded a quarterback hurry, which led to an incomplete pass on third down. Van Voorhis, when asked about the game, told the Washington Post, “It’s an amazing thing – I just wanted to get out and do my thing. I want to show other people this is what women can do…” While Haley holds an incredible milestone for women in sports, it wouldn’t have been possible without women before she broke the mold. If not for people like Serena Williams or Candace Parker showing us women belonged in sports just as much as men did, we wouldn’t have the stars we have today, like 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart. Women of today, like 2023 NCAA Champion Angel Reese or 2023 100-meter World Champion Sha ‘Carri Richardson, can break more barriers and allow women to flourish in the sports world.