Has women’s sport reached its tipping point?
Today’s worldwide boom follows decades of resistance – but the battle for equal status is far from won
Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey celebrates with her teammates after scoring a goal against Olympique Lyonnais. Image: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty
There’s a buzz around women’s sport right now, as the rugby world cup ends with a sold-out final at Twickenham and its cricket counterpart begins in India and Sri Lanka. There, tickets have been priced at record lows — less than a pound apiece — in the hope of packing out stadiums.
After the hugely successful women’s Euros, the continued growth of England’s football Super League and the US Women’s NBA, plus a new generation of superstar female athletes that takes in rugby’s Ilona Maher and basketball’s Caitlin Clark, the much-discussed tipping point for women’s sport may have finally arrived. Total global revenues are expected to rise to nearly £1.8bn this year, a huge leap from £508m in 2022.
Yet it all sounds almost unbelievable when set alongside three books about women’s sport, all published within the last five years. Each author brings a different perspective — practitioner; historian; journalist. Each book notes progressive advances over time; all lament the slow process of change.
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Rashmee Roshan Lall’s Substack blog This Week Those Books explains current affairs by recommending books by experts
Originally published at https://www.thenewworld.co.uk
