Here’s a question to think about from UFC Boxer Ronda Rousey:
Where are women’s sports prominently displayed with the men?
Unfortunately, women’s colligate sports are a controversial topic. At UC Santa Barbara, where the beach days are nonstop and the Big West Conference talent thrives each quarter, women’s sports are long overshadowed in coverage and recognition. Despite the increase in national attention and historical women’s leadership, men’s sports dominate in visibility and in resources. The results each year? A somber, harsh message to strong women athletes is that you may work hard, but be prepared to be overlooked.
However, the UCSB Gauchos have been trying to push back. Since the 2020s, women’s teams have been a part of rewriting their narrative and proving that Santa Barbara has the potential to be known for ALL of their sports. Including the hardworking women who work in those sports.
“Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” — The New Status Quo
A few years ago, the Nike t-shirt “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” would have turned some heads and or would have been a confusing quote to comprehend. In 2025, this slogan is more than a fashion statement; instead, it is a movement. From significant women in sports to college campuses, this “trend” has become a part of pop culture that challenges the outdated ideals that women never belonged in the realm of sports. The campaign’s momentum began in 2022, when Melanie Strong (former Nike executive) partnered with the company TOGETHXR. This media company was co-founded by women in sports ICONS: Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird.
According to their website and social media presence, their mission is cut into thirds: equality, diversity, and impact. All three of these are being enforced in professional and collegiate settings, like in the UC System or the NCAA, to help lead the change in women’s sports.
TOGETHXR was curated to represent women athletes and their lifestyles, activism, and post-career interests. This company is constantly reshaping how women’s sports are told and who exactly gets to share them. For UC Alumni Alex Morgan, whose career was created around uplifting young female athletes, this company on her end is personal. Morgan’s entire career is proof that women’s visibility matters in sports media.
On the TOGETHXR website, the statistics are very telling of the difficult reality of playing a sport as a woman. In the sports realm, women make up 44% of participants in sports, but they receive less than 16% of sports media coverage. Thus, this company will be known for closing the gaps via shaping strong women’s narratives that highlight diversity and create opportunities that were once foreign.
Here at UCSB, this company’s impact is slowly growing. In 2025, the Gauchos are not just watching women play their favorite sport, but athletes are being celebrated and recognized.
This Barbie Is A Sports Reporter
Now, you might be thinking — how does she know this cultural shift is real?
At UCSB, I am a sports reporter for the on-campus media outlet organization UCSBTV. I have witnessed firsthand the disproportionate coverage of women’s collegiate sports. When I first started this role, I was very worried that I was not qualified and was intimidated reporting for an NCAA D1 school. The past reporters I took over for now work for the MLB and ABC 7 Bay Area Sports. As a highly educated woman in sports, I was stepping into a male-dominated field, where I questioned if I belonged as a young sports reporter or sports journalist.
At the beginning, I had a small mentor by the name of Kristen Keller, who is now USC’s Associate Athletic Director, who gave my partners and I advice on holding our heads up high and remembering that we always have a seat at the sports table.
As someone who played softball for almost 18 years and is a lifelong fan of Major League Baseball, I have experienced and watched how women’s sports have gained a lot of positive and negative traction. As a former athlete myself, I completely understand the amazing things that stem from women’s sports. UCSB, in particular, carries deep pride and spirit that defines the athletic culture and is championed by the Athletic Director, Kelly Barsky. Our UCSBTV team covers women’s teams with the same energy and seriousness, whereas other organizations at UCSB mainly focus on men’s teams. My partners, Sydney Reardon and Annabelle Persaud, and I are not just reporting and getting practice on sports broadcasting, but we are about of the change that TOGETHXR has created for women to do so.
Supporting women athletes
On many college campuses, the “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” shift is now apparent. The slogan itself has become a declaration of women’s empowerment is being rehabilitated for more support for the athlete.
At the Campus Diamond in Santa Barbara, softball games draw big crowds and a lot of electric energy. Even though there is a difference in size from Caesar Uyesaka Stadium to the Campus Diamond, players who once competed in empty places now have big home crowds with more family and community support.
In 2023, Alumni Lindsay Leonard stated to UCSB Athletics: “Empowerment knows no bounds when women come together, championing the strength and resilience found in the world of athletics. As a proud board member of the Gretler Foundation, it’s an honor to join forces to elevate and celebrate the incredible achievements of female student-athletes at UC Santa Barbara.” Leonard is now a board member of the Gretler Foundation, which focuses on the support of women athletes on and off the field or court. And at UCSB, women’s sports equality is slowly increasing since the start of the 2020s.
This matters. All representation and support matters.
2026 = Women In Sports Breakout Year
With women’s professional sports teams on the rise and more Olympic representations, 2026 is setting up to be a breakout year for the success of women in sports. Four key trends are driving this success rate are Advanced Media Access, Global Movements, NIL deals, and Institutional Investments.
- Advanced Media Access — The increase in streaming platforms airing both collegiate and professional women’s team games. This strengthens the accessibility and viewership of a variety of audiences.
- Movements — Companies like TOGETHXR and events like the Olympics advocate and highlight women athletes on a global scale that allows for more cultural influence.
- NIL — The policy of Name, Image, and Likeness is allowing for more companies and brands to represent women athletes, in hopes of gaining similar equality as men.
- Investments — In both professional sports (like Alex Morgan being an investor for SD Wave FC) and collegiate sports (like UCSB’s Kelly Barsky improving the Gauchos athletic program) is the spark of the shift is being seen with women’s narratives being honored and even promoted beyond their talents.
Interested in more women in sports? Read “Supporting Women’s Sports Is Sexy!” By Karina from CU Boulder!
Why Does It Matter That College Women Want To Work In Sports?
This push for equality in women’s sports has been happening since the early 1970s (and perhaps even earlier, with women playing baseball in the 1940s), but of course, it is so obvious that sports broadcasting is overwhelmingly male-dominated. According to the NCAA, in the United States, women make up 43.5% of student athletes, while their games or competitions only get a 15% chance of being televised. This imbalance not only affects the coverage from sport or school media outlets but also the missed opportunity for women athletes to tell their male-shadowed narrative.
In my experience as a UCSB Sports Reporter, my perception has changed in terms of being able to understand why the NCAA goes silent over these issues and why they are barely starting now to support their women athletes. Because of this role I have at UCSB, I have had the opportunity in sports journalism, communications, and how digital content is more advanced than we all seem to think. I would not be an up-and-coming journalist if it were not for my mentors; mentorship from others’ unique journeys in their undergrad in which helped my womanly perspective on sports help athletes and coaches feel heard and seen.
Every story is equally important to be shared. So yes, everyone in 2025 watches women’s sports.