It’s Women’s History Month! I love the month of March because it’s a time to celebrate women from all walks of life that helped pave the way for us. Whether it’s female doctors, lawyers, human rights advocates, service workers, athletes and so many others, women of yesterday, today, and tomorrow deserve to be thanked and uplifted. March is a month to acknowledge, respect, and honor women: it’s a month of female empowerment. So, let’s take a moment to share some female athletes’ accomplishments recently.
The past year has been a significant one for women in sports. We saw Katie Sowers and Becky Hammon become the first women to coach in the Super Bowl and as an NBA head coach, respectively. Football kicker, Sarah Fuller was the first woman to get field goal points for a major collegiate football game. Kim Ng was the first woman hired as a general manager for a major league baseball team.
In terms of equal play, women’s sports saw important progress. Both the WNBA and USWNT secured higher and more equitable pay for their athletes. Additionally, International women’s soccer saw one of the highest transfer fees in its history, showing that women athletes are becoming increasingly valued. There has also been an increase in exposure for women in other sports such as hockey, tennis and MMA. It’s been a monumental year for women in sports, and there’s nowhere but up to go from here.
In a statement given to the Associated Press this week, the Women’s Sports Foundation said that 2020 was “Transformational for womens sports, with many exciting, history-making firsts for women’s sports, athletes, coaches and leaders. Sports is a connector, a unifier, and a microcosm of society. As we reflect on the power of women athletes and teams who spoke up, challenged the norms, shattered glass ceilings and showed girls, boys and everyone the limitless potential one can achieve, it gives us all hope for 2021 and beyond. In other words: the future is female. Happy Women’s History Month ladies, let’s keep hustlin’!