Thanks to figures such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the WNBA is enjoying an unprecedented surge in popularity. In fact, the popularity of women’s sports as a whole has grown by leaps and bounds within the last five calendar years.
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More expansive coverage, the legalization of sports gambling, and even national politics have helped to drive Americans’ interest in recent years; however, the possibility of an all-women’s gridiron football league is “to be determined” according to CFL legend Aaron Lockett.
While speaking with TheSportRush’s Shubham Bhargava in an exclusive interview, the former San Francisco 49er explained that while “women’s sports is growing,” the market will need to see a bit more demand before it’s willing to produce an all-female football product.
“If you sit down and really watch them train, they’ve got it. So, I would see more sports coming around for women, whether it’s football or not, to be determined, but I think there’s always going to be demand for good sports. So, I think, eventually, it will grow to some level where… whatever it is, maybe it’s professional tackle for women, I think there will be an audience for it.”
Many critics have attributed the WNBA’s sudden surge in popularity to the emergence of the aforementioned Clark, however, the league’s viewership totals continue to climb even in spite of her absence. The former Iowa guard was recently sidelined with a groin injury, which was just the latest in a series of injuries that have plagued her 2025 season.
Nevertheless, the league is still retaining viewers. Per Sportico, “The WNBA says viewership for its national TV partners -Ion, ESPN/ABC, and CBS-is up 23% versus the same timeframe last year.”
The discussions and subsequent interest surrounding women’s athletics is seemingly just getting started as American sports fans appear to be enduring a second awakening when it comes to the female form. The final results of female collegiate swimming competitions and WNBA regular season contests are being discussed more so now than ever before, and there’s little reason to expect that conversation to die down anytime soon.
With the introduction of the ‘NIL Era,’ collegiate female athletes are receiving funds unlike ever before, enhancing both the awareness and monetary value of women’s sports. Given the amount of value that both Clark and the aforementioned Reese have brought to the landscape as a whole, it appears as if this may be the most lucrative period in human history for female athletes.
Of course, the market is steadily smartening up to this. At its current rate, the state of women’s football will soon go from “to be determined” to undeniable, at which point, the NFL may have no other choice but to begin fielding offers for the next round of franchises.
Given the upward trajectory of both the National Football League and women’s athletics as a whole, there will surely be no shortage of potential investors.
