Men’s major league sports should, for the first time ever, listen to the NHL when it comes to appealing to female audiences.
Aggressive. Exclusive. Toxic. If you asked the average woman in the United States what comes to mind when thinking of the culture surrounding men’s professional sports, these descriptors might come up more than a few times. Can you blame her?
For decades, men’s professional sports have been marketed toward other men as high-stake, intense and, for lack of a better word, macho. But that isn’t all they have to offer. If men’s professional sports began to showcase less appreciated aspects of their leagues like community involvement, positive male friendships and mentorship, it would both broaden their female audience and benefit the young men who idolize athletes. But before they can even attempt to build their female viewership, men’s sports leagues must treat female sports fans as equal counterparts rather than accessories to the men in their leagues.
How major league sports market themselves to female audiences shapes how women are viewed within their fanbases. In the past few years, the National Football League has clearly tried to increase female viewership, but its main approach isn’t inclusive at all.
Instead of showcasing the women working within the sport or the average female fan, the league chooses to promote the often glamorous lifestyles of players’ “WAGs”, a popular term referring to the wives and girlfriends of male athletes. Everyone knows the example of Taylor Swift, who is shown almost constantly by networks cheering on her NFL husband Travis Kelce.
Supporting him is entirely her right, but the issue is when the NFL uses her image, it is always tied to her husband rather than the sport itself. Another example is Kristin Juszczyk—wife of Kyle Juszczyk—an entrepreneur who has a fashion business dedicated to game-day wear. She’s a brilliant businesswoman, but her image and brand are still entirely linked to her husband’s involvement in the league. These women are admirable in many ways, but the NFL markets their lifestyle as the primary way women fit into their public image. Women in the NFL are constantly shown as loyal supporters, which is necessary, but it doesn’t make female viewers feel welcome to enjoy the sport in the same way their male counterparts do.
To be fair, the NFL has multiple programs dedicated to women in its sport, girls high school flag football being one, but the women with the most visibility are not women within the actual sport.
What the NFL misses is that women aren’t an audience to patronize by pushing the cheerleader archetype, but one to accept and respect for what they are in the simplest terms: sports fans.
It isn’t lost on me that the league I’m choosing to embody my ideal for men’s sports, the National Hockey League, has had its share of scandals and exclusion. In fact, it currently has the lowest female viewership of the Big Four sports leagues. The NHL has faced criticism for its reputation as an “old boys’ club,” and rightfully so. Even though it still has a long way to go in terms of accountability and inclusion, the league has worked in recent years to acknowledge women as equally capable and essential to the sport.
The NHL heavily associates itself with the Professional Women’s Hockey League and does not shy away from collaborating with female athletes. In fact, our very own Badger alumni appear extensively in marketing campaigns. Whether it’s Caroline Harvey doing shared workouts with NHL players or Laila Edwards announcing picks at the draft, the league proudly advertises the PWHL’s stars on its massive platform.
Recently, doors have opened for women to work in high-level coaching positions in the NHL. In 2024, Jessica Campbell became the first full-time female assistant coach when she was hired by the Seattle Kraken.
As a result of these efforts, women are starting to be viewed—at least by league executives—as an integral part of not only the fan base but the sport as well. Through this public inclusion of women, the NHL has managed to draw the attention of an enthusiastic, yet hesitant, female fan base.
Even though the league itself has been more welcoming, scandals like the one that occurred in Milan and later at the White House in February 2026 show why it is rightfully difficult for women to throw themselves headfirst into a sport where many of the top athletes aren’t known for their kind attitudes toward women. But some teams began shifting their marketing to feature their athletes for both their hockey skills and their character off the ice. This strategy could broaden the sport’s female viewership and positively shape the next generation.
Along with focusing on the women within their sport, men’s professional leagues should highlight the qualities of their players that defy the pre-existing “toxic masculinity” stereotype surrounding men’s sports. Deconstructing the hypermasculine appearance of their league will appeal to more female followers and promote quality role models to the next generation of young men, athletes or not.
Getting fans to love the players beyond their athletic capabilities has been wildly successful for some NHL teams. Let’s focus on the San Jose Sharks, a team composed of a healthy mix of young stars and experienced veterans. The Sharks’ fan base has grown tremendously since the 2026 Olympics after their best player, 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini, showed out for Team Canada on an international stage. But what’s remarkable about their growth in viewership is that women make up a large part of the new sect of their fandom. But how, aside from the natural charm of their youth and the playful locker-room dynamic, have the Sharks achieved such growth in this underrepresented demographic?
It’s all in the way they uplift their players.
The relationship between Celebrini and his line mate Will Smith, in particular, draws a lot of people in. The two have a friendship that seems foreign to many women, especially teenage girls, who feel like men avoid showing affection or being emotionally vulnerable with one another because they are scared of being perceived as “feminine.” Celebrini and Smith defy these expectations, which endears them to female audiences. The two watch rom-coms together, started a book club for their team and have openly talked about how much they enjoy baking and cooking in their new house.
In addition to Celebrini and Smith’s friendship, the relationship between the team’s young players and the veterans garners attention. In hockey, many young players who move to a new city will “billet,” or temporarily live with a veteran, to adjust. This past year, 19-year-old Sharks rookie Michael Misa resided with veteran Tyler Toffoli and his wife, Cat. Cat co-hosts a podcast where she interviews people in the hockey world, and she recently had Misa and fellow rookie Sam Dickinson on the show, where it became evident the effect being around Cat has on them; even though they know the podcast reaches thousands, they talk about their feelings and emotions openly with her and with each other.
The veterans do more for the team than just house and feed the teenage rookies. Two of the Sharks’ most prominent veterans, Alex Wennberg and the aforementioned Toffoli, are staunch advocates for underrepresented groups. Both are heavily involved in San Jose’s inclusivity initiatives, such as Pride outreach and the Special Olympics. Their activism might seem minimal, but after years of the sport being dominated by one demographic, any pushback can cause radical change.
As the two continue to be outspoken in their community, their example influences their teammates to do the same. Many of the younger players on the team also dedicate time to giving back to their community on their off days, whether it’s attending a charity auction or volunteering to read to elementary school kids.
While promoting NHL players’ lives beyond the ice appeals to female audiences and is a useful marketing tool, its impact could be more widespread. Imagine what could happen if impressionable young men begin to view the players on their screens not only as strong athletes, but as men who can be vulnerable, emotional and changemakers. If the NHL continues in this direction and other leagues follow in its footsteps, they will be doing far more than attracting women to their sports: they will be creating role models who shape the next generation.