ACTIVISM
Want to stay up to date on the latest press releases and news about activism within the women's sports industry? Scroll below to view all women's sports activism news.-
February 6, 2022
How close are the Winter Olympics to being gender equal?
At the 2022 Winter Olympics, 45% of athletes are women, a Winter Games record. That’s up from 41% four years ago in PyeongChang – and 4.3% at the inaugural Olympic Winter Games in 1924. Beijing will feature the debut of seven new events – one women’s event (monobob) and four...
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February 6, 2022
Peng Shuai, IOC downplay concerns about tennis player’s disappearance after meeting in Beijing
The International Olympic Committee announced that President Thomas Bach has met with Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis star who was the focus of worldwide outcry when she disappeared from public view last year after allegations of sexual abuse against a Chinese official. Yahoo! Sports
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February 2, 2022
Want a Healthier Running Culture for Women? Start With Girls
Two organizations are working to fix problems in women's running before they start: By doing the work to support girl runners. The Nike Oregon Project, University of Arizona, Wesleyan University, Loyola Marymount University, University of Oregon: All of these professional and collegiate programs have faced allegations of widespread disordered eating...
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February 2, 2022
The WNBA Can’t Ignore Salary Issues
The WNBA has taken several big steps forward in the last year, but its most recent achievement has highlighted the older, more contentious issue of players’ wages — and making it more urgent than ever. Former Spurs assistant Becky Hammon will earn $1 million per season as the Las Vegas...
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January 31, 2022
How Adidas is investing in women in sport as never before
Adidas is significantly ramping up its investment in women’s activewear and athletic footwear, the company said today as it launched a new Impossible is Nothing campaign. The brand says it will invest “more than ever before” in women and LGBTQ+ people in sport, a development that will be reflected both...
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January 29, 2022
Almost 30 Years After Breaking the Ice, Manon Rhéaume Looks at What’s Next for Women’s Hockey
In 1992, Rhéaume became the first woman to play an NHL game when she tended the crease for the Lightning. Nearly three decades later, she’s still inspiring girls to play hockey. SI
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January 26, 2022
Sports Illustrated released its iconic Olympics issue, and all four cover athletes are women
Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, speed skater Erin Jackson, cross country skier Jessie Diggins, and hockey player Abby Roque are the faces of the February edition of Sports Illustrated. And in addition to earning photos on the front of the magazine, all four medal contenders were featured in elaborate cover stories...
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January 8, 2022
The gender balance imperative
Want a healthier business? Take a cue from Cotopaxi and Title Nine: Elevate more women. Outside
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January 6, 2022
Stephanie Case Advocates for Women’s Rights, On and Off the Trail
Since 2014, Free to Run has been Case’s passion project. When she’s not running and training for ultras, or mired in her work as a human rights analyst for the UN, she pours her energy into the nonprofit, which develops female leaders in areas of conflict—specifically Afghanistan and Iraq—through outdoor...
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January 5, 2022
Carlos Cordeiro seeks U.S. Soccer president post 2 years after resigning under pressure sources say
Cordeiro was elected as USSF president in 2018, but resigned nearly two years later amid a backlash to court filings relating to the equal pay lawsuit filed by members of the U.S. women's national team. Cordeiro and the USSF claimed that the women "do not perform equal work requiring equal skill...
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January 3, 2022
The 101 most stunning women’s sports photos of 2021
Sports rebounded from the punishing COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, allowing women's sports leagues, teams, and athletes to enjoy one of their most successful and memorable to date. Getty Images captured it all, so Insider spoke with several of the brand's top sports photographers about how they captured some of the...
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December 29, 2021
UConn settles lawsuit with women’s rowing team; program extended through 2026 season, receives number of upgrades
UConn reached a settlement Wednesday with 12 members of the women’s rowing team who had filed a Title IX lawsuit when the university had eliminated the program amidst budget cutting in the athletic department. As part of the agreement the school has agreed to keep the team through at least...
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December 22, 2021
Salazar’s lifetime ban upheld by SafeSport Center
Track coach Alberto Salazar’s appeal of his lifetime ban for sexual misconduct was rejected by the U.S. Center for SafeSport in the latest, and likely final, defeat of his once-storied career. The 63-year-old Salazar was handed the lifetime ban in July, but appealed the case. His entry in the SafeSport...
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December 22, 2021
The Rise of The Female Sports Director – How Pro Cycling Is Changing
The role of the sports director has traditionally been a male job, even in women’s sport. As world champions Anna van der Breggen and Chantal van den Broek prepare to manage teams, Owen Rogers found out how the sport is changing. Rouleur
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December 17, 2021
Why Did the WTA Risk Everything for Peng Shuai?
Steve Simon didn’t start the year expecting to be in central Mexico in mid-November. But COVID-19 has made improvisers of us all, including the CEO of the WTA Tour. He anticipated closing out the 2021 season in Shenzhen, China, at the WTA Finals, the event from which the Women’s Tennis...
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December 14, 2021
USA Gymnastics, USOPC reach $380M settlement with victims
The legal wrangling between USA Gymnastics and the more than 500 victims of sexual abuse by former national team doctor Larry Nassar, among others, is over after a $380 million settlement was reached, ending one aspect of the fallout of the largest sexual abuse scandal in the history of the...
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December 10, 2021
Charlton Athletic receive huge backlash over ‘bizarre’ women’s team rebrand proposal
Charlton Athletic are coming under serious scrutiny from many within the women's football community after proposing a rebrand on their women's team. A move, spearheaded by club owner Thomas Sandgaard, will see Charlton Women become 'Charlton Ladies,' received poorly by supporters, players, and former professionals of the game. GIVEMESPORT
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December 4, 2021
Eagles’ Jalen Hurts champions women empowerment for ‘My Cause, My Cleats’
Inspired by the women in his life, Philadelphia Eaglesquarterback Jalen Hurts is using the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" initiative to advocate for women in sports and beyond. "Women Empowerment" is written on one of the designer cleats for Sunday's game against the New York Jets, while the other shines...
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December 3, 2021
Chinese Sponsor Distanced Itself From Women’s Tennis Before WTA Pulled Events From China
The Women’s Tennis Association said that its largest Chinese sponsor asked last week to be removed from the organization’s website, the latest sign of tension between the tour and China after a sexual-assault allegation against a former Chinese government official was made on the verified social-media account of tennis pro...
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December 1, 2021
Women’s tennis tour suspends China events over Peng concerns
In the strongest public stand against China taken by a sports body, the head of the women’s professional tennis tour announced Wednesday that all WTA tournaments there would be suspended because of concerns about the safety of Peng Shuai, a Grand Slam doubles champion who accused a former government official...
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November 28, 2021
WA study finds female Olympians recieve more online abuse than men
A recent study published by World Athletics (WA) revealed that female athletes competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were the target of 87 per cent of all online abuse directed at Olympic athletes during the Games. According to WA, the results of the study indicate that more needs to be...
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November 21, 2021
Peng Shuai situation explained: International Olympic Committee holds video call with Chinese tennis star
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai hasn't been seen in public for 18 days and counting. This comes after she accused a former Chinese Communist party leader of sexual assault on Nov. 2. It has created significant concern within the WTA and tennis community over her whereabouts. CBS Sports
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November 17, 2021
IOC Abandons Testosterone Rules for Transgender Athletes
On Tuesday the International Olympic Committee published a groundbreaking document titled “Framework on Fairness, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations.” The ten-point guide advises individual Olympic sports on how best to create new rules governing such athletes. Under the new guidelines, the IOC forbids governing...
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November 4, 2021
Sara Björk: An Example For Women Returning To Play Soccer After Pregnancy
In April, Gunnarsdóttir, currently under contract at French side Olympique Lyonnais until June 2022, announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child and were returning to stay with her relatives in Iceland to carry her pregnancy to term. Last month, her sponsors PUMA revealed that in collaboration with...
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November 3, 2021
Why the CEO of Wild Rye Started Women Led Wednesday
Cassie Abel, co-founder of Wild Rye, a mountain bike and ski apparel brand, launched Women Led Wednesday, and started promoting it on social media through a hashtag, then its own account, and a website that now hosts a directory of some 500 women-identifying owned businesses across two dozen industries like...
