The Future of Women's Sports Is Independent
Women’s sports have often come second to a male equivalent, but over the last few years, our favorite teams and leagues have been experimenting with individuality and redefining the landscape.
Women’s sports have historically been subjected to the same tired clichés for decades now. When people call for more funding, people are quick to point out that women’s sports and athletes don’t generate the same revenue as their male counterparts. When people encourage others to watch and support their local women’s team, there are always those who act as though it’s a completely different sport simply because women are playing it.
The concept of women’s sports has always been linked to men. Women in sports have been an afterthought for decades, with their leagues and tournaments arriving years after the male equivalents have garnered incredible success and global fanbases. That intrinsic connection and, in many cases, dependence on men and male-centered organizations is what fuels the clichés we often hear. But what happens when you take out the male aspect altogether?
Despite what naysayers believe, there has been an overwhelming demand for more leagues, tournaments and opportunities to watch female athletes over the past few years. The WNBA and NWSL are bigger than ever before. Baseball and hockey finally have professional women’s leagues in the United States. Women’s sports across the board are growing at a rapid speed that is nearly impossible for only a few leagues and a lot of bureaucracy to keep up with. So women have started creating their own.
The idea of independence has been a defining feature of this new era of women’s sports. Independent women’s leagues are not necessarily a new phenomenon in the world of sports. The NWSL, and even Women’s Professional Soccer and Women’s United Soccer Association that preceded it, is one of the most prominent examples of this. The league gave us an early glimpse at what women’s sports can look like without the rules, regulations, standards and expectations of men holding it back, and it can be glorious.
The NWSL has been in operation since 2013, creating its own culture around the beautiful game and building an infrastructure made to last the test of time, but the 2020s are when women’s sports truly began to embrace independence. The sudden surge of interest in women’s sports has led to the inception of independent leagues in some of the biggest sports, competing with those already in existence.
Perhaps the most prominent of these budding leagues is Unrivaled. Where the WNBA is still viewed as a subset of the NBA – despite experiencing its own renaissance in the last few years and even outselling the NBA’s All-Star Game this past summer – Unrivaled is its own entity. Founded by WNBA veterans Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, the three-on-three league was born out of a common issue the league’s biggest stars had. Many players choose to play overseas during the WNBA offseason, but with that comes its own rules and restrictions. Instead, Collier and Stewart created an offseason option on home soil, attracting the WNBA’s finest.
Entering its third season in January 2027, has already amassed a massive following, big-name investors and has even broken the women’s professional basketball attendance record.
Women’s basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world right now, so it’s unsurprising that Unrivaled was virtually an instant hit from its first season back in 2025. In the world of running, a sport already defined by individuality and independent performance, the trend looks slightly different.
ATHLOS takes the idea of independence in women’s sports and takes it up a notch, focusing on empowering and uplifting female athletes. Holding its inaugural meet in 2024, the women-only professional track and field meet has quickly become a must-watch. Like Unrivaled, it’s another chance to watch the best of the best, from Sha’Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas to Keely Hodgkinson.
Giving female athletes a chance to shine on their own, the positive energy of ATHLOS is palpable. Replacing standard trophies with wearable crowns, the message is clear to all who watch: women deserve to be celebrated at every opportunity.
Nike’s global After Dark Tour is another celebration of women who run, albeit on a smaller and non-professional scale. Reclaiming the night for female runners, the tour has taken on a life of its own, inundating social media feeds and filling a void for runners in some of the world’s largest cities.
Independence does not only manifest itself in new leagues and one-off events. Independence is something women in sports have spent decades striving for. Independence is Kansas City Current opening the first women’s soccer stadium in the world, thus setting off a trend that has seen dozens of teams follow in their footsteps. Independence is clubs like London City Lionesses and Como Women breaking away from the traditional two teams, one club model that European soccer has become known for. Instead, they are building their own legacies without any affiliation to a men’s side – a groundbreaking idea in European women’s soccer.
Progress. That word floats around often when you enter conversations about women’s sports. It’s true, progress has been made, but there is still so much more to come. Unfortunately, the way we view and interact with women’s sports is still very male-centered. We still live in a time where a WNBA Finals game has to take a backseat to a regular season NBA opener, simply because the men are a priority.
Sharing arenas, stadiums and fields with men’s teams is common, and the women usually do get the short end of the stick. Is it feasible for every women’s sports franchise to build their own arenas and training facilities? Right now, that seems like an incredibly far-fetched idea, but 15 years ago, so did Atlanta Dream playing at State Farm Arena.
30 years ago, the WNBA didn’t exist. There was no professional women’s soccer infrastructure in most countries. The mere idea of a professional women’s volleyball league would likely be laughed off. What seems impossible now could be the norm in the next two decades.
The seeds have already been planted, and it looks like the future of women’s sports is independent.
