In 2014, Always, a leading company for menstrual products, created the “Like a Girl” ad campaign. It revolved around doing certain activities “like a girl” and combatting the stereotypes that come alongside that phrase, as well as boosting young girls’ self confidence as they experience puberty and other life changes. The campaign gained so much traction, it even received a high profile ad slot in the 2015 Super Bowl.Â
At the beginning of the ad, a woman behind the camera asks a variety of people to do a certain physical action “like a girl,” such as throwing a ball or running. Each adult proceeds to flail their arms when running or weakly imitate tossing something in the air, which represents the stereotypes associated with women’s athleticism. Then, the woman asks a variety of young girls to do the same actions “like a girl.” Each girl runs and throws a ball exactly how they would in real life, and when asked what “run like a girl” means to them, one said that it means to “run as fast as you can.”Â
The biggest takeaway from this ad campaign is that stereotypes associated with women being less athletic than men are taught, not something we’re born with. After this campaign gained traction online, Always released research reflecting how it impacted young girls. According to their data, 94% of young girls felt more confident after seeing the ad, and three times more girls had a positive association with the phrase “like a girl.”Â
Reworking the phrase “like a girl” to be empowering for young women shows them that they are capable of achieving anything a man can, which the patriarchy has fought against for centuries. Even today, there are countless structural barriers and systemic challenges that prevent women’s sports from having the same level of coverage and research as men’s sports. According to a study conducted by Cheryl Cooky for Purdue University, women’s sports only made up 5.4% of sports coverage in 2019, leaving nearly 95% for men’s sports. This staggeringly low number reflects how networks like ESPN can impact the visibility given to women’s sports, which impacts the amount of awareness regarding women’s sports in general. While media coverage has slightly grown since this time, it’s still not nearly equal to what men receive.Â
When women see someone who looks like them succeeding in a sport, it empowers them to try it out and continue chasing their dreams. In her TEDx talk from 2024, Sarina Sedaghat discusses her experience being a young girl in sports, and the ways that media coverage and women’s empowerment encouraged her to continue playing basketball. Providing more coverage for women’s sports gives young women role models to look up to, positive examples of strong women, and can break down societal norms of what women are capable of.Â
Being involved in sports can have many benefits. In an article for i9 Sports states that “the increased physical benefits of sports at any age are clear, but it goes beyond the field, court, or track, imparting invaluable life life lessons and skills that are instrumental in their personal and professional growth.” When playing a sport, children are guaranteed to learn skills such as teamwork, communication, and resilience, which will certainly be carried throughout their lives. When girls are given the opportunity to try sports, they are introduced to a positive community that directly impacts how they view their womanhood and capabilities.Â
Overall, engaging with sports benefits young girls in numerous ways throughout their lives. Especially today, as we are seeing significant growth in media coverage and popularity of women’s sports, there is a direct increase in young girls playing sports themselves, as reflected by Project Play’s 2025 State of Play Report.Â
Networks providing more coverage for women’s sports also means that viewership has widely increased and broken countless viewing records in return. For example, the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game between Iowa and South Carolina brought in a peak of 18.9 million viewers on both ABC and ESPN, making this the biggest audience for women’s sports in the past decade. During the 2026 season, the NWSL has seen a 41.7% increase in viewership just on YouTube alone. Between professional leagues, NCAA championships, and the Winter Olympics, women’s sports have generated a total of 28.6 billion viewing minutes in the United States, which is an 18% increase from 2025, from just the first half of 2026. These numbers show that a lack of viewership for women’s sports was never about the skill level of the athletes; it has always been the fault of the patriarchal systems which pushed networks to give women’s sports the smallest allotment of time possible on their channels. They also reflect that people love and care about women’s sports, which has also been shown through ticket sales this year.Â
Jared Beilby for USA Today states that “Nine of the 16 teams in the NWSL are averaging above 10,000 fans per game in 2026.” Colorado’s very own Denver Summit FC’s inaugural home opener game against Washington Spirit on March 28 drew in an all-time league record of 63,004 fans. Not only is the NWSL growing in fan numbers, but so is the PWHL. Fans sold out Seattle Torrent’s game against the Toronto Sceptres on February 27, drawing in a crowd of 17,335 people. Based on these numbers, we can see yet another way that when women’s sports become more accessible, numbers and sales will be boosted in return.Â
Women’s sports, whether you’re an athlete yourself or a fan, have long lasting positive impacts. We are incredibly lucky to live in a time when we get to witness the rise in popularity and awareness of women’s sports, and can watch as our favorite athletes get the attention they deserve. Before the season ends, I highly recommend trying to go see a Denver Summit FC match at Centennial Stadium because you will certainly not regret the immense joy, high energy, and welcoming community that will come with it.