Women’s sports may be reaching bigger audiences than ever, but mainstream sports media is still giving it a small share of the spotlight.
A study published in Communication & Sport found that women’s sports accounted for just 9.2% of coverage on televised sports news and highlight shows in 2024. That figure has barely changed from 8.7% in 1999.
The findings come from the latest “Gender in Televised Sport Report,” which has tracked the quantity and quality of coverage given to men’s and women’s sports since 1989.
For the 2024 study, researchers examined three one-week periods in March, July and November. They looked at ESPN’s SportsCenter, CBS Sports HQ|Spotlight and B1G Today, along with the outlets’ newsletters and social media. They also included NBC Sports’ @OnHerTurf and The Gist, which focus more heavily on women’s sports.
Women’s sports coverage is growing, but much of it remains separate
Women’s sports made up 21.7% of daily newsletter coverage and 28.2% of social media coverage across the full sample.
But the numbers fell when researchers looked only at established mainstream outlets. Women’s sports accounted for 8.8% of newsletters and 15% of social media coverage from legacy outlets.
The researchers found that much of the increase in coverage was coming from women’s sports-specific accounts, newsletters and newer digital platforms, rather than mainstream sports programming.
Men’s football, basketball and baseball continued to receive extensive coverage, including outside their usual seasons, while women’s sports struggled to receive the same attention.
ESPN’s women’s sports coverage reached 12.5%, the first time it had crossed 10% since women’s sports was added to the study in 1999. CBS Sports HQ|Spotlight had the lowest share, at just 3%.
A record year for women’s basketball still wasn’t enough
Women’s basketball accounted for 75.4% of all women’s sports coverage in the study.
That came during a huge year for the sport. The 2024 NCAA Tournament drew record attention, with then-Iowa star Caitlin Clark becoming one of the biggest stories in sports.
But the difference in coverage was still stark.
In March, B1G Network published 275 social media posts about men’s basketball, compared with just 19 about women’s basketball. That meant men’s basketball accounted for 92.6% of its basketball posts, while women’s basketball received 6.4%.
Women’s sports often has to be extraordinary to make headlines
The study also found differences in how men’s and women’s sports are covered.
Women’s sports was more likely to receive major attention when an athlete or team achieved something historic, broke a record or delivered an exceptional performance.
Men’s sports, meanwhile, often received energetic and celebratory coverage for more routine achievements.
The researchers found that commentary could make ordinary accomplishments in men’s sports sound extraordinary, while descriptions of major achievements in women’s sports were sometimes more straightforward.
Despite the growing popularity of women’s sports, the study shows that mainstream media coverage has not caught up.
Women’s sports continues to receive a fraction of the attention given to men’s sports, while much of its increased visibility remains concentrated in niche outlets and dedicated digital platforms.
The researchers argue that as long as women’s sports continues to be treated as “niche,” men’s sports will remain the default in mainstream sports coverage.
