In a troubling week for women’s sports, USC basketball star JuJu Watkins and USWNT defender Tierna Davidson both suffered ACL tears, underscoring a major issue in female athletics. Women are two to eight times more likely to suffer this devastating knee injury than men, due to anatomical differences and hormonal fluctuations. Despite this heightened risk, only 6% of ACL research focuses on a female demographic, raising concerns about gender gaps in sports science.
Could this be a gender equality issue hiding in plain sight?
U.S. Gotham and U.S. Women’s National Team defender Davidson was ruled out for the 2025 season with an ACL injury during her match against the Houston Dash last week. The 26 year old was running toward the end line when she awkwardly planted her left leg and immediately dropped to the ground grabbing her knee and punching the pitch repeatedly in frustration.
Trainers and coaches rushed over, as well as goalkeeper Ann Katrin Berger, to console her. She was carried off the field by a medical team.
In a post game interview, Head coach Juan Carlos Amoros acknowledged Davidson’s key role on the team. Davidson is the team captain of Gotham and USWNT Player Association President; she also won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019 with the U.S. while being the youngest player on the roster. Not to mention, she also won gold at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
“She’s in safe hands. We have a fantastic medical team, and I hope it’s the minimum it can be, because she’s been outstanding for us and outstanding for her country,” Davidson said in the post game interview.
What’s extremely devastating, however, is that her exit on the field on Friday, March 28 wasn’t her first. In March 2022, she tore her ACL during training which forced her to miss that NWSL season.
This is exactly the problem. ACL injuries can affect anyone, at any time, and sometimes it can happen to the same person twice like in Davidson.
USC basketball star JuJu Watkins was on a breakaway to the basket between two defenders when she planted her right knee awkwardly. Similar to Davidson, Watkins dropped to the floor with only five minutes left in the game. She writhed in pain as teammates, coaches and eventually trainers surrounded her.
As one of the biggest stars in female basketball, Watkins was at a crucial moment in her basketball career. Southern California (USC) is on an epic run in this year’s March Madness tournament, with the NCAA championship game just one win away.
Watkins has scored 1,709 points in only her first two collegiate seasons; she’s not far from the record. She averages 3.5 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 24.6 points per game… It’s no secret she’s a threat on the court and a key player for success.
Just a few days ago on Wednesday, March 26, Watkins was named the Women’s 2025 Naismith National Player of the Year.
Her ACL tear and surgery come with a practically guaranteed six month absence from the court for physical therapy and any additional recovery. When a player as big as her suffers an injury, the whole program feels the loss. The roster of women basketball players who have gone through ACL tears is extensive and includes big names such as Sue Bird, Paige Bueckers and Candace Parker.
While large male basketball stars, like Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving, have also suffered this injury, the percentage isn’t nearly as high.
A paper titled “Invisible Sportswomen”: The Sex Data Gap in Sports and Exercise Research found that out of 5,000 publications in sports and exercise science journals, only about 300 of the studies were just for women.
The traumatic injuries of Tierna Davidson and JuJu Watkins are certainly a wake up call to the gender inequality in this area of research. There’s reason to be hopeful the narrative is changing across women’s sports as a whole; the medical area must be the next top priority.
For more information on the data gap between sexes in this area of research, check out the “Invisible Sportswomen” research papers on the website Human Kinetics.