This summer has undoubtedly been one for the ages in the world of women’s sports. From the 2024 Paris Olympics to the ongoing WNBA season, there are more eyes than ever. Of course, this new attention has some negatives, but exposure is everything for the game! Here is my extensive overview of summer 2024 through the lens of women’s sports!
When it comes to the WNBA, there were plenty of big moments and top-dog performances, but three major players brought buckets of attention to the league. Angel Reese set a league-record double-double streak of 15 consecutive games, showing how big of an impact she can make even as a rookie. There is no doubt that A’ja Wilson had a legendary season. Not only did she win the MVP by a unanimous vote, but she also became the first player in WNBA history to reach 1000 points in a single season. Finally, Caitlin Clark had a historic rookie year. She led rookies in all five per-game categories, setting the WNBA single-season assist record with 337, and ultimately won the Rookie of the Year award.
With a stellar rookie season from Caitlin Clark and a unanimous MVP vote for A’ja Wilson, the WNBA’s viewership reached its highest in the past 22 seasons, and attendance league-wide grew by 48%. Clark was able to ride a wave of popularity, and the Indiana Fever benefited the most from that, with a 319% attendance increase. This exposure creates revenue for the league, allowing it to grow and give future women’s basketball professionals more opportunities. Let’s hope the league can keep this momentum going into the expansion draft that should take place on December 6!
It didn’t stop with basketball; this summer, the Paris Olympic games took the world by storm, and we loved our female athletes! In women’s soccer, The Triple Espresso — consisting of Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman — took the tournament by storm, scoring 10 of 12 goals for the US. Along with the aid from Naomi Girma’s performance, being on the field for all 600 minutes of play, the women were able to secure the gold under new manager Emma Hayes. After this, it was all women all day, with two more gold medals from athletes with undisputed GOAT status, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Simone Biles. McLaughlin-Levrone won the gold in the 400m Hurdles and Biles in the Women’s Gymnastics All-Around Final and the Team Final. Another tight win from USA Women’s Basketball added to the streak, making it their eighth consecutive gold. All these great displays of athletics didn’t go unnoticed, as Olympic viewership across NBC and Peacock rose 82% from the Tokyo Olympics with an average of 30.4 million viewers.
The proof is in the pudding, people; everybody watches women’s sports! This summer has been for the girls, and nothing can stop us now. More exposure will help all these sports grow funding and increase outreach, showing young girls worldwide that they can dominate sports and look good while doing it!
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