Most Watched Women’s Sports That Have Changed the Game

The rise of streaming services and the increasing media coverage of women's sports have led to a surge in popularity in recent years, and the media's role in making these sports more accessible is vital. Other factors have contributed to this phenomenon, such as the growing recognition of the individual talents of female athletes and the quality of play.

The increased interest in women's sports can be attributed to the escalating number of media appearances and the coverage of events both pre and post-game. The rise of services that allow fans to watch these sports has also made it more convenient for them.

Through social media platforms, female athletes can interact with fans and encourage them to watch and even participate in their sports. Female athletes are often viewed as positive role models, and they are supported by their fans. Famous athletes in recent years such as Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark have been able to significantly boost the viewership for their respective sports in recent years.

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In terms of viewership and increased interest, here are some of the most watched women’s sports with quite the large fan bases.

1. Tennis

Tennis has been a favored pastime of women for centuries. It all started during the Victorian era , when women played with wooden rackets and voluminous dresses. It was very common at social events, such as garden parties.

Some of the current stars of women's tennis are inspired by their predecessors. For instance, Zheng Qin Wen, who won the Olympic gold medal in 2024, was motivated by Li Na, who was the first Chinese woman to win a grand-slam title. Coco Gauff, who is currently the world number three, cited Venus and Serena Williams as her role models.

4. Volleyball

The rapid emergence and growth of women's volleyball has made it one of the most popular sports in the world.

The goal of the volleyball Nations League is to increase its global reach by adding 18 teams per gender in 2025. The league's consistent growth has shown that it is very popular. From 2022 to 2023, its sponsor value went up 27%. The global audience for the sport also grew by 48%, reaching over 570 million viewers on TV and more than 200 million on social media.

Besides live events, the rising popularity of volleyball can also be seen in the increasing number of viewers for television. In 2023, the championship match of the NCAA was broadcasted on ABC, and it managed to reach an average of 1.7 million viewers, a significant increase from the previous year's audience of 786,000.

The number of female viewers also increased by 151%. During the regular season, the matches on ESPN platforms were able to reach an average of 116,000 viewers. The peak viewership reached 808,000.

5. Gymnastics

One of the most popular sports among women is gymnastics, which is usually seen during the Olympics. It also draws large audiences during the NCAA championships for college athletes. The finals of the women's gymnastics event at the 2024 Olympics were watched by 12.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock. This exceeded the viewership of the NBA Finals and the NFL draft.

The sport is very popular at the Olympics, attracting viewers from all around the world. The routines are designed to be visually engaging, and talented individuals such as Simone Biles have been breakout starts in recent years.

The sport of gymnastics involves various exercises that require strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance. The movements that are performed in this sport promote the development of various muscle groups, such as the back, arms, chest, shoulders, and legs.

6. Swimming

Because swimming is a global sport, it's been made more accessible and easier to understand. The technical aspects of the sport are kept hidden by the plasticity of water, which makes it seem like it's capable of being performed in a similar manner to other sports. The casual viewer might interpret butterfly as a stroke with two arms, not the result of hip position or core strength.

One of the most popular events during the Summer Olympics is swimming. Although swimming has been a part of the Summer Olympics since the modern era, it only permitted female swimmers at the fifth Olympics.

7. Track-and-field

The various events that are performed in track-and-field include running and throwing, and the term track-and-field refers to the locations where these activities are conducted, such as a running track and a throwing field. In foot racing, timed competitors are awarded the title if they can finish in the fastest time possible. In throwing and jumping competitions, the judges evaluate the performance of the athletes based on their height and distance. The popularity of track-and-field has been greatly boosted by the performances of U.S. athlete Sha'Carri Richardson, and her performances have attracted many new fans to the sport.

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