What a year it has been for women’s sports.
There are highs, like watching some great athletes reach the end of their careers. After bombshell investigations, such as the Yates Report, into allegations of frequent sexual and psychological abuse by coaches in the Women’s Soccer League, some institutions and leagues have come down with hard-hitting accounts of failing their athletes. . In between was everything.
But after a long 12 months, we did it. Almost.
This year was a big year for women’s sports in retrospect. Half a century ago, when we signed Title IX and celebrated the ban on gender discrimination in education, I spent much of the year reflecting on the past 50 years. We’ve talked quite a bit about the progress that’s been made since those 37 words became the law of the land, and we’ve had several reports from organizations like the Women’s Sports Foundation on how to move forward in the next 50 years.
Some politicians have introduced a bill aimed at improving gender equality in sports. Those talks are likely to resume after the bill is reintroduced in 2023.
For example, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, introduced the Fair Play for Women Act, which aims to promote gender equality in college and K-12 sports.
The bill expands data reporting requirements for college and K-12 athletics to make all of this information readily available to the public; Hold athletic programs and associations more accountable for Title IX violations and inequitable treatment by allowing institutions other than the Department of Education to impose fines; and promote education and awareness of Title IX rights through training and other public resources for all Title IX coordinators in colleges and K-12 schools.
In a win at the end of 2022, Congress passed a bill last week that would provide equal compensation for U.S. women playing in international competition, the result of a long fight for the U.S. women’s soccer team to be paid as much as the men’s team. . on the international stage. The Team USA Equal Pay Act requires all athletes representing the United States in world competition to receive equal pay and benefits in their sport, regardless of gender. It covers more than 50 American national sports and requires oversight by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
This year, the women’s team received a percentage of the men’s team’s revenue from the men’s World Cup in Qatar, thanks to a collective bargaining agreement between the national teams’ players’ unions. This new bill takes another step toward equality for professional athletes. The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate and headed to President Joe Biden’s desk.
It all adds up to an exciting time for the women’s sports space, and it’s only going to get better in 2023.
National Women’s Soccer League Commissioner Jessica Berman said it was for the best. Recently appeared on CBS Sports’ “We Need to Talk.” Berman spoke about women’s sports and the future of the NWSL. 2022 marked the league’s 10thth The season is a milestone for women’s soccer, which has long struggled to maintain a professional league in the United States.
“The future is ahead of us, and while the challenges may be difficult, the positives are undeniable,” Berman said on the show. “The key to our future is investors, brands, media, sponsors – I believe they believe in this league because they believe in it from a business perspective.
“Women’s sport is no longer seen as a charity, a ‘nice to have’ or part of the corporate social responsibility budget,” she continued. “It’s part of an investment in the future of the sport, and with the paradigm shift that’s happened in global culture over the last year, it’s really changed the future of what’s possible.”
And there is a lot of competition. This summer, the Women’s World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand. After winning the last two tournaments in 2015 and 2019, the USA will be competing for a historic three-peat. If the past men’s World Cup is any indication, the appetite for good football in the states continues to grow.
2023 is sure to be a year for women’s sports.
