Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston shoots between Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas and forward DeWanna Bonner in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, on May 20, 2024.
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
To say that women’s sport in North America is thriving is an understatement. The question, now, is how these leagues can sustain and build upon their success.
So much is going right for soccer in Australia at the national level and in grassroots participation. But the A-League is struggling to convert its opportunities into wins.
Rachel Daly and Keira Walsh celebrate England winning the UEFA Women’s Finalissima 2023.
Mark Pain/Alamy
Decades of unequal coverage in traditional media has prompted women’s sport to use social media to increase visibility.
Ottawa’s Mikyla Grant-Mentis skates the puck up ice as Toronto’s Rebecca Leslie looks on during second period PWHL hockey action in Ottawa on Jan. 23, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The PWHL, like the NHL, does not adhere to any rule for the mandatory usage of neck guards and leaves the decision up to the discretion of each player.
Despite the fact that there are similar injuries in men and women’s rugby, women should not be viewed merely as smaller versions of men.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives past West Virginia guard JJ Quinerly (11) in a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, on March 25, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa.
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
This year’s NCAA tournament might represent another high-water mark for women’s sport as new standards are set for ratings and even more pressure falls on the game’s superstars.
Sporting bodies and governments need to better understand the issue of widespread abuse in Canadian sports and develop new approaches to tackling the problem.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Scott Barbour
A trauma- and violence-informed approach calls for participants, coaches, managers and organizations to understand the effects of systemic, structural and interpersonal violence.
A moment for Spanish feminism.
Zac Goodwin/PA images
Modernising facilities can provide a short-term excitement, but it’s their management over the long term that will influence whether women and girls participate.
The development of a new league in 2024 offers the potential for a more unified, higher-profile, higher-paying and more sustainable structure for women’s hockey.
Many concussions in soccer occur when two players compete to head the ball. But extra technique training, modifying how we play the game, and more ‘red cards’ help cut the risk.
A United States women’s national team member takes a shot during a FIFA Women’s World Cup send-off soccer match in San Jose, Calif., on July 9, 2023. Sponsorship and marketing deals with women athletes are often performative and exploitative.
(AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
While positive change has been seen, especially surrounding this year’s Women’s World Cup, there is still much work to be done by organizations governing women’s professional sports.
France’s Estelle Cascarino, right, kicks the ball past Australia’s Mary Fowler during their friendly soccer match in Melbourne, on July 14, 2023, ahead of the Women’s World Cup.
(AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
While the 2023 Women’s World Cup might be the best yet for women in terms of investments and viewership, there is still room for improvement for the 2027 World Cup.
The England women’s team huddle before playing Wales in a World Cup qualifier.
Shutterstock/Influential Photography
Many athletes playing in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will likely suffer breast injury from play. Symptoms can last for weeks, harm performance and have long-term consequences.
Research Fellow, Institute for Health & Sport, member of the Community, Identity and Displacement Research Network, and Co-convenor of the Olympic Research Network, Victoria University