Women's Sports Content Creators Drive League Growth Across WNBA, PWHL, NWSL
A feature in Cultured magazine highlights how content creators on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Threads have sparked a surge in interest for women's sports. Investment, viewership, and player salaries in women's leagues are reaching unprecedented levels. Known as Gal Pal Sports, Emily Anderson and Lesley Ryder produce humorous soccer content. Maddy Brown analyzes women's basketball through WNBAdata, while Cassie Chantel interacts with athletes such as Candace Parker. Lacey Conine runs a hockey meme account called Double Hockey Stix. Jackie Johnston, who has nearly one million followers on TikTok, covers women's sports and provides commentary for a National Women's Soccer League broadcast. Mariah Rose simplifies basketball for new fans, and Nicolette Mason combines fashion with social justice. Janae Sims highlights WNBA players, and Ava Wood concentrates on women's hockey. The increasing visibility of queer women in these leagues and the more conversational nature of women's sports content compared to men's are noteworthy. The emergence of the Professional Women's Hockey League and the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics are also cited as key growth drivers.
Key facts
- Women's sports investment, viewership, and salaries are at all-time highs, with leagues like the WNBA, PWHL, and NWSL becoming big businesses.
- Social media content creators on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads have been instrumental in building audiences for women's sports.
- Emily Anderson and Lesley Ryder, known as Gal Pal Sports, are wives from Berwyn, Illinois, who focus on women's soccer with satirical content.
- Maddy Brown, a doctoral mathematics student in Seattle, runs WNBAdata, using analytics to tell stories about women's basketball.
- Cassie Chantel, a high school basketball coach in Athens, Georgia, creates socially conscious basketball content and has interacted with WNBA players like Candace Parker.
- Lacey Conine, based in Anaheim, California, operates Double Hockey Stix, a hockey meme account and merchandise brand.
- Jackie Johnston, known as Coach Jackie J, has nearly one million TikTok followers and was named a voice of an NWSL broadcast on Victory+ alongside Kelley O'Hara.
- Mariah Rose, in Atlanta, runs Hoops For Hotties, explaining basketball storylines for casual fans.
- Nicolette Mason, a Brooklyn-based consultant and co-host of the Full Court Femme podcast, mixes fashion, business, and social justice in her content.
- Janae Sims, known as Auntie Nae, is a Dallas-based creator who showcases WNBA players' personalities.
- Ava Wood, in Seattle, runs 365 Hockey Girl, focusing exclusively on women's hockey and aiming to make the sport more accessible.
- The article notes that queer women have been central to women's sports leagues as athletes and fans, and that women's sports content is more conversational than men's sports media.
Entities
Artists
- Emily Anderson
- Lesley Ryder
- Maddy Brown
- Cassie Chantel
- Lacey Conine
- Jackie Johnston
- Mariah Rose
- Nicolette Mason
- Janae Sims
- Ava Wood
- Lisa Leslie
- Jay Leno
- Holly Rowe
- Christine Brennan
- Caitlin Clark
- Kim Mulkey
- Candace Parker
- Saniya Rivers
- Natasha Cloud
- Sarah Fillier
- Klára Zanon
- Kelley O'Hara
- Christen Press
- Margaret Norton
- Indrani Kumala
Institutions
- WNBA
- PWHL
- NWSL
- Gal Pal Sports
- WNBAdata
- Double Hockey Stix
- Hoops For Hotties
- Full Court Femme
- New York Liberty
- Atlanta Dream
- New York Sirens
- Toronto Sceptres
- LSU
- Victory+
- The RE—CAP Show
- Cultured
- NBC Universal
- Getty Images
- NurPhoto
Locations
- Berwyn
- Illinois
- United States
- Seattle
- Washington
- Athens
- Georgia
- Anaheim
- California
- Washington, DC
- Atlanta
- Brooklyn
- New York
- Dallas
- Texas
- Toronto
- Canada
- Coca-Cola Coliseum