Why is It Always Two Steps Forward, One Step Back for Women in Sports?

It’s pretty obvious to all but the least evolved amongst us that women are having a moment when it comes to sports. And while the usual suspects – aka, the U.S. Women’s Soccer team, currently ranked No. 2 in the world – continue to shine, they’re certainly not the only ones standing out.

In its 30th season, the WNBA has never been more popular – and, it can be argued – never more competitive or star-studded. While Caitlin Clark may have helped spur this on, she’s far from the only recognizable face or name in the league. She might not even be the best player on her team, as that title could belong to her fellow backcourt mate who’s pursuing a Ph. D.

Basketball and soccer aren’t the only sports that have become much less male-centric. Over the last couple of years, several women’s pro leagues have started up, including for hockey, baseball, indoor volleyball, and lacrosse. This seems to be a whole new day for women and sports and yet, on some level, it doesn’t, as some recent events demonstrate. While some of these may feel minor, others are more concerning.

In August, two WNBA games had to be paused because – yet again – some idiots decided that it would be hilarious to throw sex toys on the court. This also happened several times last season. “Lame” and “weird” were how Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud described the men doing this. She also called them “extremely weak” and that their actions were telling about how they felt about women.

(On a side note, in addition to being gross and bizarre, what are the logistics here? Did these guys have these toys at home? Did they go out and buy them just for this purpose? And where did they conceal them when taking them into arenas? Maybe these questions are best left unanswered.)

Also in August, Good Good and Callaway released an ad for a new driver that caused a stir, but not for the right reasons. In case you missed it, it featured golfer Alexis Miestowski reaching for the driver and immediately being body-checked to the ground by a guy who, it turns out, was Garrett Clark, one of the co-founders of Good Good. While violence against women wasn’t the goal – apparently the idea stemmed from the 2024 movie Obsession – the optics were pretty terrible. Clark later apologized, but Callaway decided to sever all ties with the media company.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning also played a role in an incident that involved women and violence, though not directly. After a game against Ohio State, reporter Holly Rowe attempted to ask Texas coach Steve Sarkisian some questions, only for him to brusquely walk away. Shortly afterwards, an AI-generated video sprung up online showing Sarkisian slapping Rowe. Manning, apparently, thought this was “hilarious,” though he too later apologized. While this could be chalked up to immaturity, would he have found it as funny if the video showed his coach striking a male reporter instead?

Then there’s Sydney Sweeney. By now, surely you’ve seen a lot of her promoting Novig, the sports betting platform. While it’s certainly not a surprise that a company (which she has a stake in, by the way) would use an attractive, scantily-clad person to promote itself, it’s cringe-worthy and harkens back to the days when women were just supposed to look pretty and stand on the sideline (maybe holding pom-poms) while the men were out competing.

While getting people’s attention (and ire up) was perhaps at least part of the goal of these ads, athletes were rightfully not happy, and many called it disrespectful. On Instagram, former U.S. gymnast Gracie Kramer wrote: “I've spent my entire life competing in a sport where female athletes have been oversexualized, reduced to our bodies, and forced to fight to be taken seriously for what we can actually do.”

In an interview after finishing fourth in the 200 meters at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, British sprinter Amy Hunt turned to the camera and said: “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like. Muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears.”

Worse than the promotion, however, is what’s being promoted. Since 2018, gambling disorders have increased by more than 60% in states that have legalized sports betting. In addition, studies have found a direct connection between gambling and domestic violence, and rates can increase by 10% when a football team experiences an unexpected loss.

Something else that everyone should be upset about involves athletes and pregnancy. In a recent report, researchers discovered what they’re calling The Motherhood Penalty, and they found that more than 75% of pregnant athletes experienced reductions, pauses, or termination of at least one source of funding. Nearly the same percentage said that pregnancy had a negative effect on their ability to obtain future contracts and/or funding opportunities.

This is exactly what happened with several track stars, including Alysia Montaño, who caused a buzz in 2014 for competing in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships while eight months pregnant. In an op-ed in The New York Times years later, she said that after having her baby, she “had to fight with her sponsor [Nike] to keep her paycheck.”

Olympian Kara Goucher said she was forced to decide between training for a half-marathon or staying with her newborn son in the hospital to continue getting sponsorship money from Nike. Said Phoebe Wright, a runner sponsored by Nike from 2010 to 2016: “Getting pregnant is the kiss of death for a female athlete. There’s no way I’d tell Nike if I were pregnant.”

For its part, Nike has since changed its policies and says that none of its athletes will suffer any financial penalties for missing time as a result of pregnancy.

All of the negative stuff is troubling, but it shouldn’t distract from the fact that women are killing it in the world of sports. It should, however, act as a reminder that there’s still a long way to go before they’re viewed on the same footing as their male counterparts.