Sports are becoming popular each that passes. It has become the most important part of almost every individual. Games not only help you live a physically fit life but also come with an array of benefits. The ones who adore sports find it enjoyable. They are highly entertained when they see their idols play on the screens, or when their family members play their favorite sport.
The US is highly focused on sports. When you talk about games, many people will begin thinking about men’s sports as very popular. But nowadays, women also are increasingly getting involved in sports. Let’s take a look at the most popular sports for women and some of the most successful women in sports.
Top 6 Women Sports
Check out the top sports that women participate in.
· Soccer
Most of the UK and some USA fans recognize soccer as football. Not only is soccer’s popularity growing at an amazing rate, but women’s soccer is growing even quicker. Women are playing this game incredibly fine. That’s why many football lovers have turned to watch women soccer. Studies have shown that women soccer is increasingly becoming popular in the USA as women soccer players call for quality in the pay.
· Baseball
Baseball is a very popular game when it comes to American folks. This is because it was among the first sport to develop in the USA. You can be sure to expect thousands of fans cheering for the game. Women and men baseball come in two-level—minor and major leagues. Women baseball continues to grow an audience as well as players in the United States.
· Ice hockey
If you know Ice Hockey just by the name, you can easily confuse it with the Field Hockey. This is another type of sport that has gained more hype for American women. The game is most popular in the USA’s northern states, particularly in the areas bordering Canada. Many Canadian women, as well as the other part of the USA, participate in the Ice Hockey tournaments.
Ice hockey also comes with various leagues, with the most popular being the major league. It is also among the top competitive games during the Olympics winter seasons. Most of the women who participate in these competitions win a lot of gold medals.
· Badminton
This is another cork and racket game that has become very popular in the United States, not only to the men but also to the women. More and more women have become conscious about their physical heal, and they have embarked on games like badminton to keep their bodies healthy while enjoying the fun. Do not think they only do this for fun. There are many women professional badminton players with one research showing that more and more women aged between 18-32 participate in the game.
· Mixed martial arts
This is an exceptionally popular game among US citizens. Lots of women are turning to this sport for a plethora of reasons. While the game is highly identified with the new ages, lots of women enjoy it. In fact, the sport has taken over the popularity of wrestling and boxing, and for the good reasons—most of the boxing and wrestling lovers are turning to martial arts owing to the skills involved.
The main league for mixed martial arts is the UFC. This is the title that has escalated mixed martial arts to what it is today. Women like Amanda Nunes is among the most top-rated mixed martial art players.
· Basketball
You will be amused to know that basketball ranks among the top three most famous women sports. The game features several levels. As the player develop excellent skills and grow in this game, they slowly move the scales. The main league that runs women basketball in the USA is WNBA. For the men, the NBA is the king—it is this league that come up with the rules and guidelines for the other leagues to follow. Whether women or men basketball, you will notice that there will be more than forty thousand spectators in the field. With the women leagues’ spectator base increasing at a higher marginal rate than that of the men.
Most of the currently famous WNBA players include Breanna Stewart, Sylvia Fowles, and Diana Taurasi.
· Tennis
This is a sport that is loved by thousands, if not millions of women. It is believed that the main reason for this is that it lacks the inequality players’ pay that many other sports exhibit. The two iconic women tennis players include Serena Williams and Vanes. There are thousands of women tournaments that are featured around the globe.
Among the 17.9 million tennis players around the globe, almost half of them are women.
Iconic Women Players
Many women have participated and have been very successful in many sports around the world. Read on to understand the women that are in the world’s sports today.
· Open-Wheel Racer—Danica Patrick
She is an icon when it comes to open-wheel racing. In fact, she is the most prosperous woman in this sport, having toped many races for women in sports. She is the first women racer to win the Indycar series Japan 300 2008 race.
· Wrestling and Martial Arts—Ronda Rousey
Ronda is both a martial artist and a professional wrestler. She is featured as the most successful athletes in these sports being the only woman to top both WWE and UFC Championship. Also, she is the only woman to have featured a pay per view event.
· Swimming–Katie Ledecky
Katie is an American swimmer who has pocketed 14 World Championship gold medals, five Olympic gold medals—setting a record for the female swimmers. Currently, she holds a record in 1,500, 800, and 400 meters’ freestyle.
· Heptathlon– Jackie Joyner-Kersee
When it comes to field athletics, count Jackie as the king of the heptathlon—where athletes complete seven fields and track events in only two days along with long jump. In the just four Olympic games, she has won three gold medals, a silver medal, and two bronze medals.
· Tennis—Venus Williams and Serena Williams
These two are regarded as the best women ever to play Tennis. Apart from the amazing record of her sister Serena, Venus was the first American woman to be ranked all-time second and on the top position in the Open Era by women Tennis Association.
· Basketball—Breanna Mackenzie Stewart
More than many NBA players, Breanna’s basketball prowess is unmatched. Back in high school, she was named the McDonald All-American and the female athlete of the year. She also led the Huskies into four national championships. Before joining the WNBA, she signed a deal with Nike. Apart from being a two-time all-star, Stewart was remarkably endorsed as the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the year. More impressive, the player led Seattle Storm to the WNBA championship in 2018 before being named the WNBA MVP. Other outstanding, talented WNBA players include Maya Moore, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and Diamond DeShields, among many more.
Women in Poker
Gone are the days when you strictly saw men among the poker players. The ladies are here, and they are here to stay!
Take, for instance, Barbara Enright. She was the first woman to be included in the Hall of fame alongside Phil Hellmuth—the “Poker Brat.” Besides, she also made it to the most coveted even by the men players, the WSOP—World Series of Poker main even and completed fifth. Impressively she has won three WSOP bracelets that only Jennifer Harman (2015) and Linda Johnson (2015) managed to.
In every major poker event or even the poker halls, you will easily recognize the changing tides. Since the 2000 poker boom, when poker became accessible to online players, many women have popped into the game.
Not only are there more and more women participating in poker games, but also most of them are giving the best male players in the industry a ride for their money.
Women-Men Sports Pay Gap
The Inequality in gender pay is evident in all the industries, and sports are not left behind. There are huge discrepancies when it comes to men and women pay in different sports. It is only in Tennis where the gap isn’t that huge. But in all the other games, players are wholly in different pay zones.
This may be the phenomenon that may explain why many players are participating in Tennis. Only the Tennis women players have ranked among the top earners with Li Na, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova appearing in the Forbes list multiple times.
Final Thought
The rate at which the female athletes are getting involved in the games and even dominating, it seems that trend is not going to halt any time soon. That’s why we’re left thinking—are women taking over the American sports industry? And will the pay inequality be resolved soon? Only time will tell.
For now, make sure to bet on these top female athletes by visiting some of the best recommended online sports betting sites in the USA: Bovada and BetOnline.ag.