It’s going to be a big year for women’s sports.
According to a study released by Wasserman, women’s sports coverage now accounts for 15% of all sports media, up from 4%. By 2025, women’s sports should take up 20% of all sports coverage.
On that same note, women are taking up more and more space in the sports betting world as well, accounting for 33% of all bettors in 2022.
the Summer Olympics in Paris have seen an unprecedented participation of women and more media coverage than ever, women are dazzling on your TV screen and bet slip month after month.
Will this be the year that we address financial disparity too? Hard to say.
There are countless elite female athletes making waves in sports, but these ten are undoubtedly among the most exciting to watch and support. From established superstars to rising talent, these women are pushing the boundaries of their sports and showing the world what it means to compete at the highest level.
Backing these women—whether through financial support, fan engagement, or simply cheering them on—means recognizing their impact on the sport and contributing to the growing visibility and respect for women’s athletics. We are definitely betting on them:
Coco Gauff – Tennis
The 19-year-old is approaching her 20th birthday, but she has already accomplished quite a lot as a teenager. Now officially a Grand Slam winner, 2024 is set to be a huge year for Gauff.
After making her mark on tour a few years ago, beating Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open at just fifteen years old, Coco continued to rise in the tennis world. She broke into the top-ten in WTA rankings in September 2022, making her the youngest person to crack the top-ten since 2006 at 18 years old.
With a ton of natural talent to boost her, she was coached primarily by her parents up until 2023, when she decided to hire tennis legend Brad Gilbert as her coach. The impact was immediate, and she ended the 2023 Grand Slam calendar with her first Slam win, in her home country to top it all off.
Gauff’s US Open run in 2023 doesn’t seem to be a one off, as she has come into 2024 with the same fiery energy. She made it to the 2024 Australian Open quarterfinals without dropping a single set, and lost in the semifinal to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.
As Coco heads into the next decade of her life, she’s just going to continue to improve. It’ll be exciting to see what she accomplishes in 2024.
A’ja Wilson – Basketball
A’ja Wilson has already accomplished nearly everything you can as a basketball player, but that doesn’t stop her from bringing the energy every time she steps onto the court.
The NCAA National Champion, 2x WNBA Champion, 2x WNBA MVP, WNBA All-Star, Olympic Gold Medalist, World Champion and now Author is at the top of her game. Her Las Vegas Aces are coming off their second consecutive championship and will be hunting for a third this summer.
With the Olympics coming up this summer as well, Wilson will most definitely be helping Team USA as they attempt to win yet another gold medal.
Though she came just short of winning the WNBA regular season MVP award in the 2023 season, she will surely be a top candidate in the 2024 season.
Now adding author to her resume, Wilson’s debut book “Dear Black Girls: How To Be True To You” is set to release in just a few weeks. Wilson uses stories from her real life to encourage young Black girls to be themselves and to never apologize for who they are.
Simone Biles – Gymnastics
Simone Biles is already one of the most decorated and accomplished athletes of all time. She has seven Olympic medals and is the most decorated American gymnast in history.
Biles made history in 2021 when she spoke out about her mental health and inspired many to talk openly and get help for their own mental health.
After taking a short break from gymnastics to prioritize her personal well-being, Biles will be back at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She has already been competing at 2023 gymnastics events as she leads up to the Olympics, and won the 2023 All-Around Gold Medal at the World Championship in Antwerp.
The United States Women’s Soccer Team
After years of domination in the women’s soccer universe, the United States Women’s National Team shocked the world when they lost in the round of 16 at the Women’s FIFA World Cup in 2023.
That came after their semi-final loss against Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where they ended up winning bronze. Canada went on to win gold in Tokyo.
With a new generation of players coming up for the USWNT, and players like Megan Rapinoe retired, the team will definitely look different going into Paris. Yet, they still have veteran players like Alex Morgan to lead the charge, and their young players are some of the best in women’s soccer.
Parity in women’s international soccer is at an all-time high, but the USWNT will be looking to get back on top this summer.
Caitlin Clark – Basketball
Caitlin Clark has surely made her mark on women’s college basketball. The Iowa Hawkeyes senior led her team to a March Madness Finals appearance in 2023, winning AP Player of the Year for that season.
She is currently averaging a career-high 27.8 points per game for Iowa as they prepare to try and make another deep run in the NCAA tournament this March. She has been praised as one of the best basketball players of all time by many.
Her shooting ability is a sight to see, as she makes monster shots from half court every game, her confidence only growing with experience.
While Caitlin does have another year of college eligibility left to use if she chooses, she could also declare for the WNBA draft this April. She is highly projected to go first overall to the Indiana Fever if she does decide to declare.
Either way, Clark is becoming one of the biggest young names in basketball.
Summer McIntosh – Swimming
Summer McIntosh, the 17-year-old Canadian swimming prodigy, is an athlete you absolutely need to keep an eye on. As a teenager, she is already a four-time World Aquatics Champion and represented Canada at the Olympics at just 14 years old. She is the first Canadian to win two gold medals at a single World Championship.
McIntosh holds two junior world records in the 200 meter freestyle and butterfly. In 2023, she broke the 400 freestyle and medley world records.
She placed fourth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the women’s 400 meter freestyle event at just 14, and all eyes will be on the teenager as she competes in the 2024 Olympics this summer.
She is already one of the biggest names in swimming and is only going to go up in 2024!
Marie-Philip Poulin – Hockey
It’s been a big year for women’s hockey, but Marie-Philip Poulin, aka Captain Clutch, has been a legend for years. The three-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist is known for bringing the Canadian Women’s Hockey team glory with her shooting and scoring ability.
She’s seen many iterations of professional women’s leagues, but none have lasted the test of time. Now in 2024, she leads the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Montreal franchise.
Back playing in her home province of Quebec, in a league that has the support to last, she is only going to encourage more girls to play hockey. Montreal has been performing well in the PWHL standings so far, of course thanks to the efforts and leadership of their Captain Poulin.
Sha’Carri Richardson – Track
Sha’Carri Richardson is sprinting her way to some hardware this year. The American track runner won two-gold medals in the 100 metre and 100 metre relay events at the 2023 Track and Field World Championships in Budapest.
After qualifying for the 2020 Olympics, she was suspended for a positive THC drug test and was unable to compete. Many people were outraged at her suspension for marijuana use and due to the situation, the World Anti-Doping Agency announced it would review the prohibitions surrounding athlete cannabis use.
With her 2023 Gold medals in tow, Richardson is eying the 2024 Olympics, set to represent Team USA. She competes in the 100m, 200m, and 100m relay events.
Sunisa Lee – Gymnastics
Suni Lee rose to become a household name at the 2020 Olympics when she stepped up to compete for Simone Biles, after Biles withdrew from competition.
After helping her team to a silver medal, Lee went on to win the gold medal in the women’s all-around event at just 18-years-old, becoming the sixth American woman to win that event. She was also the first Asian American woman to win the title.
She took a break from elite gymnastics to compete in NCAA gymnastics for two year as she attended Auburn University, but announced in 2023 that she would be returning to elite level.
Now, she’ll aim to return to the Olympics with Team USA this summer.
Katie Ledecky – Swimming
Katie Ledecky is the most decorated women’s swimmer in history, and she is far from being done competing. The American has seven Olympic gold medals and 21 World Championship medals, winning a record 16 gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships.
At just 26 years of age, Ledecky is at the top of her game. She is the USA’s most decorated female athlete of all time, and continuing to compete at high levels.
She will definitely be a favorite in her events at the upcoming Olympics. She competes (and wins) many events including 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, and also relay events.
There’s more competition in women’s swimming than ever before, but Ledecky is sure to collect some more hardware this summer in Paris.
Honorable Mentions
Sam Kerr – Soccer: Leader of the Matilda’s, Australia’s women’s national soccer team, Kerr is one of the best women’s soccer players in history and only getting better. She would have surely been more than an honorable mention, but Kerr suffered a knee injury recently while playing for Chelsea FC that required surgery.
Usually it takes an athlete about a year to recover fully from ACL repair, so unfortunately we most likely won’t get to see Kerr with the Matilda’s this year. The team went on an incredible run at the 2023 FIFA World Cup as the host team, and all eyes will be on them at the Olympics.
Iga Swiatek – Tennis: The World no.1 in women’s tennis, the 22-year old has been dominating the tennis universe over the past few years. In 2023, Swiatek won the French Open, after winning the US Open in 2022. She has a career match record of 288-67 and 17 titles total.
With two Grand Slams under her belt and her no.1 ranking, Swiatek goes into most tournaments as a favorite to win it all. Yet, as tennis parity grows, she also has a huge target on her back at every event.
In the Australian Open and Wimbledon, the two Slams she has not won, Swiatek has yet to make the final. After a huge 2023 for the Polish player, she is sure to continue her dominance this season while also representing her country at the Olympics.
Penny Oleksiak – Swimming: The most decorated athlete in Canadian history, 23 year old Penny Oleksiak has seven Olympic medals under her belt.
Heading into her third Olympic games this summer, Oleksiak should be the favorite for many of the events. Though, knee issues kept her out of the 2023 World Championships, hopefully Oleksiak will be ready for Paris.
There are so many incredible women’s athletes to bet on in 2024, and it will be extremely exciting to watch them thrive and grow their individual sports.