Over the past decade we have seen an influx in the coverage of women’s sport as a whole. Outside of World Championship and Olympic coverage, you would rarely see television broadcasts of soccer, basketball or hockey, but of late we have seen more coverage of these sports with the inception of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and the growth of the National Women’s Soccer League (NSWL) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), just to name a few. 

In Canada, we have been blessed to have household names like Christine Sinclair, Kia Nurse, and Hayley Wickenheiser, as some of the standouts, but thanks to the growth women’s sport has seen those household names have grown exponentially.  

We will be looking into the impact some of these icons have on young athletes, and how they have helped them get to where they are now.  

Sinclair is wildly viewed as one of, if not THE, greatest international soccer players of all time making her an easy target to be looked up to, especially as a soccer athlete. Fourth year soccer standout, Joce Splitgerber (Orono, ON) knows the impact Sinclair has had on young, female soccer athletes in Canada not only in the past, but moving forward as well. “Sinclair inspired so many and I think playing up until this year changed the game for so many girls,” said Splitgerber about Sinclair’s impact. “I got to meet her at an ID camp when I was younger, and it was just so cool to be in the same room as someone with that much influence. I think the game over the next couple years is going to mean so much more than what it has before.” 

Splitgerber added that she admired “people that worked really hard”, naming Kadeisha Buchanan, Alicia Chapman and Hope Solo as inspirations. “They were players that I thought worked hard no matter where they were, and Kadeisha was just a hardnosed defender, so I really liked her for that.” She also noted that it was not only high profile athletes that were inspirations to her, but also people that she grew up around and with. “I’ve had the chance to play with so many good players that all had different backgrounds and that I’m really good friends with, both them and their families, and it had been like a big support system. I liked feeling success obviously, but also being able to do something for someone else made me feel really accomplished and have a grounded feeling even if things outside of soccer were crazy.” 

Breaking records and engaging fans, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Women’s Volleyball is another league that is creating waves in terms of viewership. According to the NCAA, the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball Championship match was the first to be aired on ABC, setting a television viewership record for the sport with an average of 1.7 million viewers.  

Sydney Flower (Fredericton, NB), in her final year with the Saint John women’s volleyball team, is a close follower of the NCAA and admires the extreme talent of the women within the league. “The NCAA is a big influence on me,” she said. “I’ve spent countless hours watching NCAA games and have learned so much from watching. It was a big factor in wanting to play at the next level from high school, "she added.

As a university varsity athlete now, Flower still spends a lot of her free time keeping up with women’s sports. “Growing up, sports on TV were mostly men’s - NHL, NBA, etc. But now, seeing the WNBA and the start-up of the PWHL gaining popularity is huge for young girls who may not have thought professional women’s sports was possible to watch on TV or play themselves,” said Flower.

Even if you don’t follow the WNBA or women’s NCAA basketball, chances are you have heard the names Caitlyn Clark and/or Angel Reese. Clark and Reese battled it out for the 2023 NCAA Championship leading to a media storm, bringing a whirlwind of coverage to the season. First year guard, Llorena Prekaj (Mississauga, ON), knows the impact the likes of Clark and Reese have had on her generation of basketball players. “The most important aspect I notice is her [Caitlyn Clark] confidence in the game,” “That confidence certainly translates to the little kids watching her, inspiring them to continue on with their athletic journey,” said Prekaj. 

Angel Reese is another great example of someone becoming a role model for many young players. She is a prime example of believing in yourself, and never giving up even if there is hate or people doubting you,” added Prekaj about some the negative media coverage Resse has received.  

Clark has been a phenomenon since being drafted first overall in the WNBA entry draft. According to sportcasting.com, games in which Clark plays average 15,591 fans versus 7,645 in games she is not participating in, a +105% increase, culminating in the Washington Mystics relocating a home game against Clark’s Indiana Fever from their usual home arena, Entertainment & Sports Arena, to the larger Capital One Arena, due to “unprecedented demand”.

Another sport gaining some traction is badminton, thanks to athletes like Michelle Li. Currently ranked No. 22 among the top 25 women’s singles players, Li was the first Canadian woman to win badminton singles gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, to name just one of her many accomplishments. In addition to making history in her sport, Li has continued to raise her profile by competing in the Olympics for Team Canada since 2012.  

“I think it is amazing that women are breaking barriers in sports,” said Sydney Arseneault (Saint John, NB), fourth year badminton athlete. “Women’s sports are entertaining to watch, and I think it is great that the level of play is increasingly becoming more and more competitive.” 

On a local level, Arseneault's was inspired by local women’s singles player Stephanie Graves. “When I was younger, Stephanie was winning numerous tournaments, and I aspired to be like her and play as well as she did. Eventually, when I was older, I competed in the adult category and had the opportunity to play against Stephanie in the women’s singles final.”

As Stephanie inspired her, Arseneault hopes to be an inspiration to others and says to young girls wanting to succeed in any sport “Believe in yourself and enjoy the journey. Badminton has connected me with people worldwide. Work hard, stay consistent, and push through tough days.”

The world is lucky to be a part of this exciting shift as women make their mark and become names to watch, inspiring future generations to come.