- Interest and investment in women’s sports have been on the rise.
- Stars like A’ja Wilson and Ilona Maher are inspiring younger generations of female athletes.
- Katie Ledecky is the most decorated American woman in Olympic history, with 14 medals.
Women are dominating the world’s largest athletic stages.
At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Katie Ledecky brought her total medal count to a record 14, Ilona Maher helped lead the US Women’s Rugby Team to its first-ever Olympic medal, and Simone Biles became the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history.
And now, women’s sports are continuing to reach unprecedented heights: A’ja Wilson was named WNBA MVP for the third time in her career, the Professional Women’s Hockey League is breaking attendance records in its sophomore season, and the National Women’s Soccer League just kicked off its 13th season with plans to expand.
Recent breakthroughs in visibility, pay, and societal attitudes have helped usher female athletes and their organizations closer to the mainstream, with Deloitte predicting that women’s sports would surpass $1 billion in revenue for the first time in 2024.
But what we’re seeing now is the result of decades of hard work by pioneering women in sports who fought to foster inclusive environments for women regardless of their race, sexuality, or socioeconomic status.
From Althea Gibson breaking the color barrier in not just one but two sports to Megan Rapinoe leading the fight for pay equality, here are 50 legendary female athletes who’ve helped change the world of women’s sports for the better, ushering in future generations of young girls who can see their futures clearer than ever before.
