Women’s sports are bigger than ever. Viewership is soaring, stadiums are selling out, and a new generation of girls is seeing what’s possible. But does greater visibility actually mean greater safety?
In this episode of Wait. What Now?, Kiki, Grace, and Michelle explore the complicated reality behind the rise of women’s sports. We look at the experiences of women as fans at sporting events, the harassment and threats faced by female athletes, and the surprising connection between major sporting events and violence against women at home.
It’s a conversation about how far women’s sports have come—and why safety needs to be part of the next chapter.
Because women deserve to be able to play, watch, cheer, and compete without fear.
If anything in today’s conversation hit close to home, you are not alone — the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
Sources:
1. Nielsen, “46 Billion Minutes of Women’s Sports Were Consumed in 2025” (Mar 5, 2026) — https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2026/nielsen-46-billion-minutes-of-womens-sports-were-consumed-in-2025/
2. Forbes, “Women’s Sports See Historic Growth…” (Apr 9, 2026) — https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizelting/2026/04/09/womens-sports-see-historic-growth-its-time-its-athletes-get-paid-like-it/
3. Kick It Out, “Over half of women have experienced sexism at matches” — https://www.kickitout.org/news-media/over-half-women-have-experienced-sexism-matches
4. Trine University Center for Sports Studies, “American Fan Violence” (2023, citing Sportsbook Review survey) — https://www.trine.edu/academics/centers/center-for-sports-studies/blog/2023/american_fan_violence.aspx
5. Durham University, “Women need safer fan spaces at big football tournaments” (Jul 2024) — https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/current/thought-leadership/2024/07/euro-2024-women-need-safer-fan-spaces-at-big-football-tournaments-to-stamp-out-hostility-and-abuse/
6. Northumbria University, “‘Safer Stadiums’ research shares women’s experiences at men’s football games” — https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/news-events/news/safer-stadiums-research-shares-womens-experiences-at-mens-football-games/
7. Al Jazeera, “US man charged with stalking WNBA star Caitlin Clark” (Jan 14, 2025) — https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2025/1/14/us-man-charged-with-stalking-wnba-and-indiana-fever-star-caitlin-clark
8. Fox News, “WNBA players reveal ‘super scary’ privacy and security fears” (Jan 2025; incl. Bueckers case) — https://www.foxnews.com/sports/wnba-players-reveal-super-scary-privacy-security-fears-after-caitlin-clark-stalker-incident
9. Williams et al., Communication & Sport (2025), “Sports Organisations’ Responses to Social Media Abuse Against Professional Sportswomen” — https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21674795251366402
10. AP (via WSB-TV), “Caitlin Clark condemns ‘harassment’ as WNBA players face a surge of online threats” (Jul 3, 2026) — https://www.wsbtv.com/sports/caitlin-clark/NP6OSOFPWM7GFAK7JBZ6X6DFLU/
11. Newsweek, “Why Domestic Violence Can Rise During the World Cup” (Jun 2026; cites Lancaster Univ. 2014 and Card & Dahl 2012) — https://www.newsweek.com/world-cup-2026-domestic-violence-abuse-surge-12096701
12. Harvard Kennedy School Gender Action Portal, “Football, alcohol, and domestic abuse” — https://gap.hks.harvard.edu/football-alcohol-and-domestic-abuse
13. Women’s Aid, “‘The Other Kick Off’ campaign” (Jun 17, 2026) — https://womensaid.org.uk/womens-aid-reveals-the-other-kick-off-time-thousands-of-women-dread-during-the-world-cup/
14. UK Crown Prosecution Service, “Domestic abuse expected to rise during the World Cup” (Jun 2026; NPCC Euro 2024 data) — https://www.cps.gov.uk/national-news/news/domestic-abuse-expected-rise-during-world-cup-prosecutors-urge-victims-come
15. Crimestoppers UK, “Violence against women & girls in football culture” (Jun 12, 2026) — https://crimestoppers-uk.org/news-media/news/2026/jun/violence-against-women-girls-in-football-culture-abuse-is-not-part-of-the-game
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