Sports economist David Berri predicted in his 2017 book Sports Economics that women’s sports would soon catch up to men’s pro sports and become mainstream. Many, including King and Martin,
WILLIAMS
controversy, megastars, and sports fans hungry for an alternative to the spoils of multimillionaire players and unattainable ticket prices. WFA commissioner and founder
Lisa King is a U.S. Olympic silver medalist and mother with a lion’s share of bragging rights in women’s sports, including NCAA records in soccer and 18,000 passing yards as a semipro quarterback. She told Newsmax there’s no ques-
tion the controversy over men in wom- en’s sports played an unexpected role in its popularity. Young athletes like University of
Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who championed the issue, showed that women athletes are extraordinary war- riors in unprecedented times, accord- ing to King. “I think they got a lot of respect
Made up of 60 teams, the alli-
ance includes the Boston Renegades, who have four championships under their belts. A growing list of its football play-
ers have attracted major sponsors — including Adidas and Nike — and they are starting to get their own profes- sional stadiums. The CPKC stadium in Kansas City,
Missouri, is the first all-women’s profes- sional sports arena in the world. The 11,700-seat stadium, which cost $187 million to build, is the official home of the National Women’s Soccer League. It was built by a women-owned company. Even newcomers like the Angel City
Football Club, hailing from Los Ange- les, are ripping up the male-dominated turf, jumping to a value of $180 million in their first four years of existence. What’s driving the trend seems to be a synergy of talent, a modern-day
from people who were afraid to maybe voice the same thing,” says King, who runs the WFA with her husband, Jeff King. “I think that, at the very least, got people curious.” The issue brought generations of
women athletes together in force, both gay and straight. Tennis legend Martina Navratilo-
va, who is openly gay, and tennis grand slam icon Serena Williams, a mem- ber of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which opposes same-sex marriage, have unit- edly echoed Gaines’ advocacy against males in female sports. In February, Title 9, an all-wom-
en’s sports watch bar, opened in Pitts- burgh. Its government namesake, Title IX, now recognizes a ban on men in women’s sports as part of an executive order by President Donald Trump. Bar owner Sherree Goldstein said
she wanted to be part of the “momen- tum” of the exploding popularity of women’s sports.
have also cited what they call a “fire in the belly” that male pros — tangled up in trades, lucrative endorsements, and an idolizing fan base — seem to have lost. Sports economist David Berri pre-
dicted in his 2017 book Sports Eco- nomics that women’s sports would soon catch up to men’s pro sports and become mainstream. Last year, the Southern Utah Uni-
versity economics professor co-wrote another book, Slaying the Trolls, which chronicles how women athletes and coaches conquered sexism and preju- dice in professional sports. Berri told Newsmax that while the
lack of “theater” in women’s sports and players “still wanting to prove themselves” may be a drawing point, he believes it’s mostly about making up for lost time. “You have to remember men got a
huge head start,” he says, noting that men had opportunities as boys that women did not as girls for decades — and still don’t. For example, few high schools offer tackle football to girls. And then came Caitlin Clark. The 6-foot University of Iowa point
guard who lit the world on fire with three-point shooting and record triple- doubles that rival NBA players, quick- ly put an end to the already waning “play like a girl” stereotype. “She was definitely the cherry on
top,” says Berri. Women’s basketball has undeni-
ably emerged as the poster child for the evolution of professional wom- en’s sports. In 2023, the average WNBA team
was valued at $96 million. In 2024, it averaged 1.2 million viewers — a 170% jump over 2023, likely due to Clark. ESPN shelled out $1 billion in
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