Evolution of Women Working in Sports

In sports, there are diverse ethnicities, races, backgrounds, occupations, and genders that make up the industry, but there’s a deeper story behind what’s visible to the public.

The evolution of women working in sports is a topic rich in diverse analytics, perspectives, experiences, and historical moments. For many, sports are seen as a male-driven & dominated industry, but recently there has been a change of interest in the sports landscape. Many women are still fighting against stereotypes and biased opinions as they constantly break into the competitive sports industry. From the beginning of the first women making sports history in media & athletics to significant moments in present times, the evolution of women working in sports will be unpacked.

Women vs. Men in Sports

One of the biggest differences between women & men in the sports industry is the pay differences between the athletes. Women have been severely underpaid as athletes compared to males in the NBA. UN Women has done research that was released in an article in May 2026, reporting numbers on women’s pay compared to men. NBA players make 80x more than WNBA players, despite the WNBA being around since 1996. However, that’s only one sport; it’s made a global impact, affecting the financial status of women athletes. Forbes released their 2025 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes; ultimately, no women appeared on that list. There have been numerous women athletes with great accolades, ranging across all sports, including Aja Wilson, Simone Biles, Candace Parker, Serena Williams, Coco Gauff, and Naomi Osaka. However, none of them qualified to make the list of the highest-paid athletes in the world by Forbes. Furthermore, pay discrepancies have been a noticeable issue that has been reported on and a constant fight to improve as newer women athletes enter the sports scene.

Another difference between women & men is lack of representation and support. Women have been vocal about facing an uphill battle to gain opportunities to work in the sports landscape. Even though women have been more widely marketed and supported in the sports industry recently, one doesn’t have to go back many years to see a big difference. In 2021, the Associated Press for Sports Editors received a B-plus by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, which reports on race and gender in sports media. The report revealed a series of percentages that show major discrepancies in various sports media roles. Furthermore, some of the numbers include that 79.2% of sports editors were white and 83.3% were male, 77.1% of columnists were white and 82.2% were male, and 77.1% of reporters were white and 85.6% were men. Based on the report, it revealed that sports media was still as “traditional” as it could be in modern times. It shows how less feasible it was for women to achieve a role in sports media. Overall, it just added to the hardship that women faced trying to make their mark in sports. Another big issue is that women’s sports are still not as closely followed compared to men’s despite the recent uptick in interest. The AP-NORC released a poll in 2025 showing the wide separation between active fans by gender. For men’s professional sports, 45% of adults follow it closely, while 23% follow women’s professional sports. Similarly, 30% of adults follow men’s college sports, while 21% follow women’s college sports. So, women have become more prominent in the sports landscape, but it comes with a cost of a lack of representation, lack of support, and overcoming stereotypes.

Celebrating the Wins, Overcoming the Struggle

The evolution of women working in sports has seen some hard points in history, but some barrier-breaking moments helped shift positive momentum to the present day. Amusing Artifacts at the University of Southern Indiana’s David L. Rice Library in the University Archives and Special Collections has a section dedicated to women’s history in sports. On its website, there is a small excerpt pointing out notable moments in history, highlighting women’s leagues’ establishment and women’s participation in the Olympics. The excerpt reveals the ideal Victorian woman was gentle and frail and that any physical activity was frowned upon. Furthermore, the first women to compete in the Olympics were in 1900, when there were 22 of them; the number grew to 90 by 1972 in Rio de Janeiro, and 28 of the 32 sports in 2024 at the Paris Olympics were fully gender equal. If doing the math with just the sample size of Olympic participation, women have fought the fight to be where they are now for 126 years. In that time frame, notable leagues joined the fight, giving women a platform in sports. The leagues include: the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) in 1950, the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 1996, the National Women’s Soccer League in 2013, and the National Women’s Hockey League in 2015.

Notable women have also spoken out about the hardships of women being in the sports industry. One woman who was vocal about the hardships women have faced for years in health, sports, and life was the 3-time national champion head coach of South Carolina Women’s Basketball and 2024 Jimmy V Perseverance Award recipient, Dawn Staley. At the 11:20 mark of ESPN’s video of Dawn Staley’s acceptance speech, she mentions being the best version of herself because she might be the inspiration for that “little girl trying to be successful.” In the speech, Staley was humble in receiving the award and made sure to point out that prior women had to have bravery in more severe concepts of life, so she had to continue to fight because of them. Another notable woman was the 2025 National Champion and the University of Connecticut all-star Paige Bueckers. Paige Bueckers won the 2021 ESPY for Best College Athlete for women’s sports. In her speech, she touched on race and how unfair it can be on women athletes who work hard, especially black athletes. In the speech, at the 0:48 mark, she shed light on black women, saying that the media doesn’t cover them enough after all the sacrifices they make. The significance of these moments is that these are these individuals’ special moments, yet they understood the bigger mission, which was advocacy. It is moments like these that have kept the fight alive and have allowed for growth for women in sports. When moments like these happen, it’s a win and a breakthrough. The NCAA media center released data in March 2026, showing how women’s participation in sports shows promise for the future. As of March, there were 242,341 women-student athletes, 279 Female Athletic Directors, 5,126 female head coaches, 378 women presidents and chancellors, and all are increases since 2017.

Audio Podcast

In terms of people who work daily in sports as a woman, there is a shared trait for overcoming the odds. In a virtual interview with the NFL’s Media Director of Guest and Talent Booking, Rose Garcia, she stated, “It’s like what Kobe Bryant said: ‘Show up and do the work.’ It’s an opportunity to show them what you can do, put down the concerns.” For Rose Garcia, she didn’t major in college for that; she was a journalism major, but she emphasized showing up and believing in yourself. Another fellow woman who worked in sports was a Southern University alumna, Kynnedi Jackson. Kynnedi Jackson has been removed from the industry since graduating from college but refuses to give up on achieving her goals. She stated that “I’m a woman, a black and plus-size one at that. I may not be on everyone’s job board, but I’m never going to give up on myself because I know what I can do.” All women have a different story in the experience of working in sports, but they share the same fight, which makes their evolution have no end.

Conclusion

Overall, women have come a long way from the beginning, but they’re hungry for more, which leaves their possibilities endless. However, the message has always been constant through it all, which is to keep fighting and never take no for an answer. Women working in sports have so much to unpack, but this project reveals the passion and pride they have for making it in sports.

References:

Attention to men’s professional sports still outpaces women’s, but there is closer parity for college sports - AP-NORC. (n.d.-a). https://apnorc.org/projects/attention-to-mens-professional-sports-still-outpaces-womens-but-there-is-closer-parity-for-college-sports/

Dawn Staley accepts the jimmy V award for perseverance | 2024 Espys - YouTube. (n.d.-b). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSbAWrywkRg

Facts and figures: Women in sport | UN women knowledge portal. (n.d.-c). https://knowledge.unwomen.org/en/articles/facts-and-figures/facts-and-figures-women-in-sport

How women athletes are reclaiming and reshaping the Sports Media Landscape | USC Annenberg. (n.d.-d). https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/center-public-relations/usc-annenberg-relevance-report/how-women-athletes-are-reclaiming

No women make the 2026 Forbes list of 50 highest-paid athletes – Free Press of Jacksonville. (n.d.-e). https://jacksonvillefreepress.com/no-women-make-the-2026-forbes-list-of-50-highest-paid-athletes/

Paige Bueckers with a powerful speech at the Espy’s - youtube. (n.d.-f). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=queQa1uMq8I

Queue the cameras: The struggle for gender equality in Sports Media | harvard independent. (n.d.-g). https://harvardindependent.com/queue-the-cameras-the-struggle-for-gender-equality-in-sports-media/

Sports media remains overwhelmingly white and male, study finds - ESPN. (n.d.-h). https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/32254145/sports-media-remains-overwhelmingly-white-male-study-finds

Women and sports – amusingartifacts. (n.d.-i). https://amusingartifacts.org/2026/02/16/women-and-sports/

Women’s sports reach record NCAA participation as leadership roles keep rising - ncaa.org - official athletics website. (n.d.-j). https://www.ncaa.org/media-center-womens-sports-reach-record-ncaa-participation-as-leadership-roles-keep-rising/

World’s highest-paid athletes: 2026 forbes list. (n.d.-k). https://www.forbes.com/lists/athletes/