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NWSL sets viewership milestones during banner year for women’s sports

Portland Thorns players celebrate their championship win at Audi Field. (Amber Searls/USA TODAY Sports)

On Saturday, 915,000 people pointed remotes at TVs and sat down to watch the NWSL Championship. It stands as the most-watched match in league history, with a viewership increase of 71% from last year’s final.

Nearly one million people watched as Sophia Smith Michael Jordan-shrugged her way to an MVP trophy, and as the Portland Thorns collected their third championship in franchise history.

But numbers like this aren’t confined to one game or one league. The increased viewership in the NWSL shows a larger trend: If more people can watch women’s sports, more people will watch women’s sports.

Saturday’s contest marked the first time in the league’s 10-year history that an NWSL Championship was played in prime time. The match aired on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

Before 2022, NWSL finals were held during the day and aired on various cable channels, making access more difficult for prospective viewers.

For NWSL players, especially veterans, Saturday’s prime-time final proved a much-anticipated step forward.

“I was fortunate to play in the first championship game and I think outside of the people in Portland, no one knew that the game was happening,” Christine Sinclair told reporters before the game. “So I’d say it’s what this league, it’s what us as players deserve.

“This, women’s sports in general, all they need is a chance. People will watch, people will come if given the opportunity to do so. For this game to be on prime time — on a major network — it’s just going to continue to grow the game to continue to inspire those youngsters watching.”

The match capped a season in which the NWSL saw record attendance: More than 1 million fans attended games in 2022, the first time the league has reached that milestone.

The demand for women’s soccer extends outside of the United States. Tickets for 2023 World Cup games in Australia and New Zealand rapidly sold out their allotments during the second phase of single game sales, held by FIFA in the early morning hours of Australian Eastern Daylight time on Tuesday.

A FIFA spokesperson told ABC Australia the organization wasn’t prepared for the high demand, calling it “unprecedented,” and said more World Cup passes have been sold in the first month of availability for the 2023 tournament than in the first four months for the 2019 World Cup in France.

Should FIFA have been surprised? Given the current trends in women’s sports, the answer is a resounding “No.”

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Fans cheer during the NWSL championship game between the Kansas City Current and Portland Thorns at Audi Field. (Amber Searls/USA TODAY Sports)

The 2019 World Cup had 1.12 billion viewers, more than a 50% increase from the previous record. That doesn’t come down to a championship one-off. For the 52 World Cup games, an average of 1.27 million viewers tuned in, an increase of 106% from the 2015 World Cup.

And other women’s sports are showing similar growth. Both the WNBA and women’s college basketball saw similar increases during their most recent seasons.

During a WNBA season that marked the final campaign for veterans Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird, the league reached its most regular-season viewers in 14 years. Games shown on ABC, CBS and ESPN networks were up 16% from the previous season. League pass subscriptions also increased by 10%.

College basketball also smashed its previous viewership numbers. The title game between No. seeded South Carolina and No. 2 UConn pulled in 4.85 million people, making it the most-viewed college basketball game on ESPN for men or women since 2008.

In total, the season saw an 18% increase in viewership from 2021 to 2022. And this year’s national championship game will be shown on ABC after being broadcast on ESPN in previous seasons, setting it up for even more viewership thanks to better accessibility.

“Women’s NCAA championships continue to generate strong audiences across the ABC/ESPN networks and this move represents yet another unique opportunity to showcase this marquee event and the student-athletes who are competing for a national championship,” Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of programming and original content, said in a statement following the announcement.

More people are watching women’s sports because more people can watch women’s sports. It’s as simple as that. More accessible TV networks and better time slots lead to more viewers.

People want to watch women’s sports. It’s up to TV providers and the leagues to make sure they can. And if that continues to happen, viewership will continue to skyrocket.

Teen Wild Card Victoria Mboko Makes History with 2025 Canadian Open Win

Teen tennis phenom Victoria Mboko celebrates her 2025 Canadian Open semifinals win.
Victoria Mboko earned her first WTA 1000 title by defeating Naomi Osaka in Thursday's 2025 Canadian Open final. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The 2025 Canadian Open wrapped up with a storybook ending in Montréal, as 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko earned her first-ever WTA Tour title by defeating four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in Thursday's final.

"I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament," Mboko said after battling back to take down Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. "It just proves that your dreams are closer than they [seem]."

The largely unexpected final matchup capped a 2025 Canadian Open that saw every seeded player fall, with Mboko putting together a dream run that included ousting four Grand Slam champions — Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.

Thursday saw Mboko become just the third-ever Canadian to win the event, plus the teen phenom made tennis history as only the third wild-card entrant to ever claim victory in a WTA 1000 tournament.

As for Osaka, despite falling just short of the finish line, the 2025 Canadian Open was a distinct return to form for the fan favorite, who put together her most successful tournament run in three years in Montréal this week.

Both finalists earned a significant rankings bump with their performances this week, with Osaka rising to world No. 25 while Mboko, who started the 2025 season outside the WTA's Top 350, skyrocketed to No. 24.

Having withdrawn from the 2025 Cincinnati Open due to the near-impossible turnaround between Thursday's final in Montréal and their Saturday matches in Ohio, both Mboko and Osaka will enjoy some much-deserved rest before gearing up for the season's final Grand Slam — the 2025 US Open.

The Washington Mystics Trade Aaliyah Edwards In Final Midseason Transaction

Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards runs down the court during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Washington Mystics traded Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun on Thursday. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Thursday's WNBA trade deadline came and went with one final flurry of activity, as the No. 10 Washington Mystics leaned all the way into their rebuild by sending 2024 No. 6 draft pick Aaliyah Edwards to the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.

"Bringing Aaliyah to the Connecticut Sun is more than just a roster move.... Aaliyah is a transformational talent with the mindset and drive that aligns with our vision of building a championship culture," Sun GM Morgan Tuck said in a statement. "Aaliyah is the kind of person and player who can help redefine the future of this organization and we're ready to build that future together."

In return for Edwards, Connecticut sent 2024 No. 5 draft pick Jacy Sheldon to the Mystics, with Washington also receiving the right to a first-round pick swap in 2026 WNBA Draft in the trade deal.

The move follows a Tuesday trade in which the Mystics offloaded their leading scorer Brittney Sykes to the No. 6 Seattle Storm in return for forward Alysha Clark and a 2026 first-round draft pick.

While a few major midseason moves emerged this week, seven of the league's 13 teams decided to forego any trades, with No. 2 New York, No. 3 Atlanta, No. 4 Phoenix, No. 5 Indiana, No. 8 Golden State, No. 9 LA, and No. 11 Chicago holding their rosters steady in the final week of the transaction window.

Basketball Icon Diana Taurasi Talks 2024 Olympic Final Benching in New Docuseries

Team USA veteran Diana Taurasi watches the 2024 Olympic gold-medal game from the bench.
Diana Taurasi did not play a single minute of the 2024 Olympics gold-medal game. (Daniela Porcelli/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Image)

In the new Prime docuseries Taurasi, retired USA and WNBA legend Diana Taurasi opened up about not playing any minutes in her sixth and final Olympic gold-medal game in Paris last summer.

Having won gold at five consecutive past Olympic Games, Taurasi made the 2024 Team USA roster at 42-years-old precisely because of her deep veteran experience on the international stage.

"I always felt like I deserved to be on the team," she said in the third episode of the three-part series. "It was my team for 20 years and I know how to get the job done."

"She's there to lead," fellow retired basketball icon Sue Bird — Taurasi's longtime friend and teammate in those first five Olympic outings — explained during the episode. "She's there to calm everyone down when s—t gets weird because s—t's gonna get weird. It always does."

While Taurasi played minutes off the bench throughout the tournament, she failed to step on the court during the USA's narrow one-point victory over France last August.

"She should have played, 100%. And to be honest, I don't know why they didn't play her," said Bird. "This was the game she was actually brought here for."

"I'm confused by what happened," Taurasi acknowledged. "I never got [an explanation like], 'Hey, you're not going to play because we're going this direction.' Sounds good. I can live with that."

"Maybe it was just my time to get the raw end of the stick," she continued.

"I've done this five other times where I felt like I really earned it," Taurasi concluded. "This one was the one that doesn't belong."

How to watch the docuseries "Taurasi"

All three episodes of Taurasi are currently available to stream on Prime.

Two USWNT Stars Named to 2025 Ballon d’Or Shortlist

USWNT defender Emily Fox walks onto the field for a 2025 friendly.
USWNT and Arsenal defender Emily Fox earned a 2025 Ballon d'Or shortlist nod. (Brace Hemmelgarn/USSF/Getty Images)

The 2025 Ballon d'Or nominations dropped on Thursday, and only two USWNT players earned nods on the 30-athlete shortlist for soccer's most prestigious individual honor.

US and Arsenal defender Emily Fox earned her first career nomination after the 27-year-old won 2024 Olympic gold with the USWNT and the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League with her club side.

With her third career Ballon d'Or nod, USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps joined Fox on Thursday's 2025 list after leading the US in Paris last summer and playing another strong season with OL Lyonnes.

While the first half of 2025 has been admittedly quiet for USWNT without a major continental tournament on the docket this year — and many of the team's heavy hitters sidelined for various reasons — the Ballon d'Or's consideration timeframe includes their Olympic gold-medal run, making the team's lack of nods a bit head-scratching.

It's far from the first time that the award's shortlist has fallen short. Awarded by French magazine France Football, the Ballon d’Or has long been criticized for heavily favoring athletes who play in Europe. Of the 30 2025 nominees, only six play for clubs outside of Europe — five of them in the NWSL.

Notably, only one US player has ever won the Ballon d'Or, with the 2019 trophy lifted by USWNT icon Megan Rapinoe.

Since then, Barcelona FC have maintained a stranglehold on the award, with midfielder Aitana Bonmatí's two straight wins following attacker Alexia Putellas's back-to-back reign.

USWNT drop to No. 2 in world rankings

This week also saw the USWNT cede ground in the overall FIFA rankings, falling to world No. 2 as new No. 1 Spain claimed a narrow lead of less than two points with their 2025 Euro Final appearance.

Like the Ballon d'Or, Thursday's world ranks contained more than a few confusing shifts, with Brazil somehow falling three spots to No. 7 despite winning a fifth straight Copa América title last weekend, and England earning a mere one-spot rise to No. 4 after defeating Spain in last month's Euro.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or Féminin nominees

Sandy Baltimore (Chelsea, France)
Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride, Zambia)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona, Spain)
Lucy Bronze (Chelsea, England)
Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal, Spain)
Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Sofia Cantore (Washington Spirit, Italy)
Steph Catley (Arsenal, Australia)
Melchie Dumornay (OL Lyonnes, Haiti)
Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current, Malawi)
Emily Fox (Arsenal, US)
Cristiana Girelli (Juventus, Italy)
Esther González (Gotham FC, Spain)
Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona, Norway)
Hannah Hampton (Chelsea, England)
Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich, Denmark)
Patri Guijarro (Barcelona, Spain)
Amanda Gutierres (Palmeiras, Brazil)
Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes, US)
Chloe Kelly (Arsenal, England)
Frida Maanum (Arsenal, Norway)
Marta (Orlando Pride, Brazil)
Clara Mateo (Paris FC, France)
Ewa Pajor (Barcelona, Poland)
Clàudia Pina (Barcelona, Spain)
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain)
Alessia Russo (Arsenal, England)
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Chelsea, Sweden)
Caroline Weir (Real Madrid, Scotland)
Leah Williamson (Arsenal, England)

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