From Coco Gauff owning the clay at the French Open to A’ja Wilson lighting up the WNBA—clinching a scoring title and becoming the fastest player in league history to reach 5,000 career points—2025 delivered unforgettable moments in women’s sports. And this time, the world didn’t just watch. It paid attention.
Over the past few years, women’s sports have been gaining real momentum. Stadiums are fuller. Viewership is climbing. Investment is growing. And more girls than ever are showing up for sports in middle school, high school, and beyond.
That’s a win for the games themselves and for the women who play them, but it also marks something bigger. Research shows that staying active in childhood and early adulthood can influence confidence, leadership, and resilience for years to come. Sports teach girls how to trust their bodies, lead a team, and navigate competitive environments on and off the field. It’s no wonder nearly 90 percent of women in C-suite leadership roles played sports at a collegiate level.
So the question becomes: How do we make sure this moment lasts? How do we turn this surge into a true turning point, one that supports girls not just now, but for generations to come, in an effort to build a better, more equitable society?
Kimberly S. Clay, PhD, founder and CEO of Play Like a Girl!, a BRANWYN Empowerment Partner, has a powerful vision for what’s possible. Here’s what this moment could mean for women today, for girls growing up now and how showing up as sponsors, supporters, and believers can help shape an even stronger future.
Image courtesy of Play Like a Girl!
Historic Moment in Women’s Sports
The rise of women’s sports didn’t happen overnight, but over the past few years, the world has been paying more attention. From packed college arenas to record-breaking broadcasts, women’s sports have moved from the margins toward the center of the cultural conversation. Revenue has grown at a pace that now outpaces men’s leagues, media rights deals are expanding, and viewership continues to climb across basketball, soccer, and emerging sports like flag football.
In 2024, the NCAA women’s basketball championship averaged nearly 19 million viewers, surpassing the men’s final. The WNBA secured a new multi-year media deal valued at more than $2 billion. And at the collegiate level, fans showed up in historic numbers from sold-out Iowa arenas for basketball to more than 92,000 people filling a football stadium to watch women’s volleyball in Nebraska.
For Clay, a surge in attention is meaningful, but not entirely surprising. “Women aren’t an emerging audience. We were always there,” she says. Women, she explains, have long been the engine behind sports culture. “Women are the ones spending the money. We’re holding the seats down. We’re driving the global economy,” she says. “What’s changed is that we’re making more noise—and we’re seeing more of ourselves reflected.”
That reflection has been reinforced by structural changes across sports. Leagues are investing differently. Conversations about pay equity have moved into the mainstream. And in more spaces, women are helping one another step into leadership roles, shaping not just how games are played, but how they’re run.
“Where women show up in decision-making makes a real difference,” Clay says. “For a long time, we relied heavily on male allies. Now women are increasingly in the driver’s seat.”
What This Moment Signals for the Next Generation
For girls watching, those changes matter. Research shows that girls drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys by age 14. The driving forces behind his drop off? “Confidence. Belonging. Representation,” Clay says. “That’s what we see in research and hear from girls again and again.”
When girls don’t see role models or clear pathways forward, participation begins to fade. But as women’s sports become more visible, and as athletes speak openly about mental health, longevity, and life beyond competition, those stats will start to shift.
Clay points to moments like Naomi Osaka stepping back to prioritize mental health as transformational. “That decision wasn’t just about tennis,” she says. Clay says that actions like Osaka’s help girls understand that sports, even at the highest level, can be a healthy component to a balanced life—and it gives them permission to put their wellbeing first.
She says that more and more, “Girls are telling us they can actually see a future for themselves in sport. Not just as athletes, but in careers connected to sport, in science, technology, design, media.”
From Participation to Leadership
Why does this matter off the field? “Sport is the great unifier,” Clay says. “It brings people together whether we realize it or not.”It’s also one of the most powerful training grounds for leadership, particularly for women. Nearly 94 percent of women in C-suite roles played sports, with more than half competing through college.
“When those women are asked what sport gave them, they talk about leadership, teamwork, resilience, and learning how to bounce back from failure,” Clay says. Those lessons carry forward into careers, communities, and families. “When women lead, we bring innovation, creativity, problem-solving, and heart,” Clay says. “That’s how you build a more equal, more inclusive world.”
Research suggests that women’s leadership doesn’t just benefit workplaces and communities, it can benefit the planet, too. Studies have found that countries with higher representation of women in government are more likely to adopt stronger environmental protections and climate policies. Women leaders are also more likely to prioritize long-term sustainability, public health, and community wellbeing over short-term gains. In that way, expanding access to leadership for girls today helps shape a healthier world for everyone.
Why Sponsorship Moves the Needle
While mentorship plays a crucial role, Clay is clear that mentorship alone isn’t enough. “Mentorship is guidance,” she explains. “Sponsorship is action.” A mentor helps someone navigate choices. A sponsor uses their influence to create access, inviting someone into rooms they couldn’t enter alone.
“The sponsor is the one willing to put their reputation on the line,” Clay says. “That’s why it’s so powerful.” She emphasizes that sponsorship grows out of trust. “You can’t have sponsorship without mentorship,” she says.
For girls and women seeking sponsors, she recommends finding mentors and letting the relationship grow. “Relationships come first,” Clay explains. In order for someone to become a sponsor, they need to trust their mentee enough to put their own reputation on the line. She emphasizes that sponsorship grows out of trust: “You can’t have sponsorship without mentorship.”
For women in positions of influence, she views sponsorship as a responsibility. “If you can’t make space at the table, you pull up a chair,” she says. “And if there’s no chair, you become one.” It’s this collective mindset that drives long-term change.
Looking Ahead to a Better Future
At BRANWYN, we firmly believe that the current momentum behind women's sports is only the starting point. Participation is rising. Visibility is expanding. More girls are seeing a path forward in both sports and leadership that supports big dreams.
With the Olympic Games approaching, athletes like Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin continue to shape what that future can look like. Their careers reflect longevity and adaptability. For the girls watching, those examples matter. Seeing women compete across decades helps redefine what’s possible, not only in athletics, but in confidence, leadership, and self-belief.
That’s where long-term support becomes essential. Organizations like Play Like a Girl help ensure girls have the access and sponsorship they need. When women are supported in sport, the impact reaches far beyond the field of play. It shapes who grows up believing they belong, who learns to lead, and who carries that strength creates a ripple effect that can reshape our world.
We want to know, did you play sports growing up? Either way, how do you feel this shaped your life? We are always curious about your lived experience. Please let us know at info@branwyn.com and on Instagram at @branwynofficial.
