Women Worth Watching: Movement sparks in support of women’s equality in sports

After a 19-year-old Canadian player Bianca Andreescu took the US Open Title against Serena Williams, #WomenWorthWatching sparked on social media.

News 12 Staff

Sep 8, 2019, 3:15 AM

Updated 1,701 days ago

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After a 19-year-old Canadian player Bianca Andreescu took the US Open Title against Serena Williams, #WomenWorthWatching sparked on social media.
The movement was created by the USTA and the She Is Organization to show support for women's equality in sports and elicit fan engagement.
Although fans show interest in watching women's sports, Caiti Donovan, the co-founder of the She Is Organization, says men's sports receive more coverage.
"The most recent reports show that only 4% of media coverage goes to women's sports, despite 40% of the athletes out there at all levels being women," Donovan says.
Donovan also says when female athletes do receive coverage, many fans watch. She says 84% of sports fans are interested in viewing women's sports.
"We saw the FIFA World Cup have ratings at like 14.3 million in the US alone, and that was 22% higher than what the 2018 Men's World Cup received," she says.
Soccer star and New Jersey native Carli Lloyd tells News 12 that it's important for people to be aware of women's sports. She says, "Whether it be basketball, whether it's golf, whether it's soccer, just being on that grand world stage and having the coverage that we deserve is really the biggest thing."
High profile events, like the women's US Open Final go a long way towards helping to close the gap, says Donovan. "It absolutely levels the playing field," she says. "It allows people to really see firsthand and break down the kind of tired and old narratives that might exist around female athletes. It allows them to see the skill and allows them to really understand in true form why women are worth watching."
Donovan says fan engagement and attendance combined with increased coverage opportunities will have a large impact on achieving equality.


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