College sports advocates press philanthropy to buffer NIL’s commercial pressure on women’s sports

August 20, 2026

While interest in women’s sports is booming and Olympic sports organizers lock in preparations for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, advocates worry that the college athletic programs that feed both those systems may be strained further by increased demands from bigger sports.

Olympic sports haven’t had the opportunity to thrive on their own, according to Women’s Sports Foundation CEO Danette Leighton, because the business has centered one product: college football.

Leighton is calling on donors to set the agenda. Philanthropy can protect those teams, she said, by endowing scholarships for women’s gymnastics or men’s tennis.

“There are a lot of philanthropists that are really passionate about women’s sports or men’s Olympic sports,” she said. “They should make sure that that’s where their funding is going directly.” AP News