ACTIVISM

October 27, 2021

2021 Sport 4 Life Grants Serve Girls of Color in 23 States, Expanding into the Native American Community

New York, NY (October 27, 2021) /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ — The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) announced the 2021 grant recipients of the Sports 4 Life program, a national initiative to increase sport participation and retention of African American and Hispanic girls, and now Native American girls as well. A total of...

October 25, 2021

Women athletes allege body shaming within Oregon Ducks track and field program

Six women athletes who left the University of Oregon track and field program in recent seasons say they felt devalued as individuals and at risk for eating disorders because of the program’s data-driven approach to their weight and body fat percentages. Five of the women departed with remaining eligibility. One said...

October 21, 2021

Adidas joins Black Women’s Player Collective as long term partner, commits to building mini soccer pitches by year’s end

In an effort to abolish barriers standing in the way of future advancements in the game of soccer, Adidas and the Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC) are teaming up to change the narrative of Black women and girls in soccer by demanding equity, representation and access at all levels of the game....

October 19, 2021

Around 2,500 images reported under JOC initiative aiming to stop sexualisation of female athletes

A Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) initiative aimed at preventing female athletes from being photographed in a sexualised manner when competing in their events has seen around 2,500 non-consensual objectifying images submitted in complaint. The service was launched last November, with female athletes able to report sexualised images from competing in...

October 18, 2021

Media Outlets, Stop Sexualizing Women in Sports

A study by the Cambridge University Press evaluated the language used to describe men and women athletes across sports media, including written articles and commentary during broadcasts. Researchers found a real disconnect between how men and women are portrayed. Read about these women's experiences on Outside.

October 18, 2021

Texas set to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports

The Texas House of Representatives claims that the law, which would apply to public school teams through high school, protects fair competition. Current rules state that testosterone level in serum must remain below 10 nmol/L throughout the period of desired eligibility to compete in the female category, which is based...

October 13, 2021

Did Women’s Sports Foundation try to silence a leading voice fighting sexual abuse in sports?

The Women’s Sports Foundation in August 2014 offered Hogshead-Makar a two-year contract extension that would pay her $10,000 a month to serve as the organization’s senior director of advocacy, a consulting position. The offer, however, came with a stipulation: Hogshead-Makar could not publicly discuss or write about sexual abuse or...

October 12, 2021

Mary Cain suing former coach Alberto Salazar, Nike

On Monday, The Oregonian reported that former Nike Oregon Project athlete, Mary Cain, has reportedly filed a $20 million lawsuit against Nike and her former coach, Alberto Salazar, over alleged abuse. Cain is accusing Salazar of publicly shaming her over her weight, leading her to depression, an eating disorder and self-harm....

October 11, 2021

The incredible back-story of how young female cyclists were evacuated out of Afghanistan

A frantic SMS with an urgent plea for help triggered a series of events that led to a daring rescue and evacuation of 165 people — among them dozens of young female cyclists — out of Afghanistan. Just weeks ago, as the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan was collapsing under Taliban...

October 7, 2021

WNBA players will now have access to free fertility testing

Modern Fertility, a San Francisco-based unit of digital health company Ro, will provide hormone tests and fertility support to all players as part of an arrangement organized by Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike, now in her second three-year term as president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. She wants...

October 7, 2021

Kari Traa ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ Movement Exposes Stories of Inequality

Broomfield, Colo. – Oct. 7, 2021 /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ — Kari Traa, one of the fastest growing women’s sportswear brands worldwide, has launched a movement to encourage women to share stories of inequality, and break the rules traditionally associated with being a woman. In the brand’s ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ campaign...

October 5, 2021

The NWSL will return, but its players aren’t done demanding change

The National Women’s Soccer League will return to the field Wednesday, but the fallout from allegations of player abuse is expected to continue, with players demanding widespread change from a league they say has failed to protect them. On Tuesday, Washington Spirit CEO and controlling owner Steve Baldwin announced he...

October 4, 2021

Commissioner of top US women’s soccer league resigns amid sexual harassment scandal

National Women's Soccer League Commissioner Lisa Baird resigned after some 19 months on the job amid allegations that a former coach engaged in sexual harassment and misconduct. Baird's resignation was announced by the league late Friday, a day after The Athletic published the accounts of two former players who claimed...

September 30, 2021

New Balance ‘The Stolen Starts’ global female running collective

New Balance has officially unveiled the first iteration of The Stolen Starts, a new global community of female runners that aims to elevate athletes, their stories and the issues they are passionate about. The Stolen Starts collective is made up of 11 women who want to drive positive change in...

September 29, 2021

After backlash, NCAA extends ‘March Madness’ brand to women’s basketball tournament

A little over six months after an outcry drew attention to inequities between the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, the NCAA announced Wednesday that it will extend “March Madness,” its trademark for the Division I men’s tournament, to the women’s tournament, which is held at the same time annually...

September 23, 2021

Lizzie Deignan blasts Patrick Lefevere on ‘I’m not the welfare’ comments toward women’s cycling

Lizzie Deignan (Great Britain) has spoken out against Patrick Lefevere's controversial remarks concerning women's cycling in an interview with members of the media ahead of the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders, Belgium. The Deceuninck-QuickStep boss stated that he is 'not welfare' and that he had 'no experience, time, money or desire to invest' in women's...

September 22, 2021

Patagonia signs statement denouncing Texas abortion ban

Patagonia is once again in the news for making its social and political values known—this time, in the form of opposition to the new Texas state law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The company co-signed a statement with more than 50 other U.S. businesses denouncing the law...

September 22, 2021

Texas bill to limit transgender athletes’ participation in school sports passes Senate, heads to House

A Texas bill to require transgender student-athletes to compete only in sports that correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate passed in the Texas Senate by a 19-12 vote. The bill now heads to the House. Senate Bill 3 does make one exception: allowing biological girls to play...

September 20, 2021

Climber Johanna Farber receives apology after inappropriate images were aired during World Championships

The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) has apologized to Austrian climber Johanna Farber after inappropriate images of her were broadcast during the World Championships in Moscow. Multiple media outlets reported that the event's broadcaster aired a close-up replay of Farber's bottom during the boulder semifinals last week, prompting the sport's...

September 20, 2021

More than 500 female athletes calling on Supreme Court to rebuff Mississippi abortion law

More than 500 current and former female athletes urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reject a Mississippi law that would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. In an amicus brief filed Monday, the athletes cite the importance of "bodily integrity and decisional autonomy" to their individual careers and women's sports as...

September 16, 2021

What Should the Next 50 Years of Women’s Running Look Like?

Olympian Molly Huddle charts a course for continued progress. Women distance runners in the 1960s and ’70s had to expend a lot of time and energy creating the race, seeking training information and coaches, or fighting for their spot in a men’s race. The sport was only for those bold...

September 15, 2021

It’s Time To Make Sport More Inclusive And Diverse

Choices that are made on diversity, both on and off the field, track or pitch, affect more than players and fans – as important as this is. Not acting on diversity and inclusion could put sponsorship deals on the line or risk losing funding from ESG-conscious investors. But where can...

September 15, 2021

U.S. Soccer says it has offered men, women identical contracts

The U.S. Soccer Federation said it had offered identical contract proposals Tuesday to the players’ associations for the men’s and women’s national teams, and the governing body said it would refuse to agree to a deal in which World Cup prize money is not equalized. AP

September 9, 2021

Wrestle Like A Girl Launches ‘She Can Wrestle’ Campaign Featuring Sports Empowerment Festival and Celebration Gala

/WOMEN'S SPORTSWIRE/ Wrestle Like A Girl (WLAG), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to empower girls and women using the sport of wrestling to become leaders in life, announced its first campaign titled “She Can Wrestle”, which will include a Celebration Gala and Sports Empowerment Festival, to be held...

September 9, 2021

Report: Taliban has banned women’s sports in Afghanistan

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia’s SBS TV has quoted a Taliban spokesperson as saying that women’s sports — and women’s cricket specifically — will be banned by his group in Afghanistan. “In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow...