Emerging Sports: What Are They and How Are They Changing the Women’s Sports Scene
Women’s sports have been rapidly growing in popularity and support, with female elite athletes receiving more recognition and in turn transforming the world of women’s athletics. As many know, there are stepping stones and a long process of gaining elite status because, unfortunately, it doesn’t happen overnight. One of those steps, that many dream of reaching, is competing in the NCAA. Unfortunately, there has been a limited amount of women’s sports available. When you think of women's NCAA sports, you might think of basketball, soccer, or softball. Sports like triathlon, wrestling, and rugby, though not commonly thought of, have been part of the NCAA for years. Recently classified as emerging sports, they are being added to NCAA institutions in the hopes of becoming official collegiate sports and are changing the game for female athletes.
While these sports are well-established worldwide, introducing them into the NCAA as emerging sports is creating new opportunities for women. These emerging sports not only diversify the world of collegiate athletics but also provide athletes with more pathways to success. As these sports gain traction, they encourage more young women to pursue athletics. The current full list of emerging women's sports in the NCAA includes acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian, rugby, stunt, and triathlon. On this list, triathlon is very close to reaching its goal of gaining championship status with over 40 schools adding programs. Women’s wrestling is the most recent emerging sport to move to championship status with 76 schools. With more sports being added to the NCAA it allows other women’s sports to be added to the emerging list.
The growth of women's sports in the NCAA marks a significant shift toward greater inclusion and opportunity. With the introduction of emerging sports, more women now have the chance to compete at the collegiate level and push them to gain elite status. The rise of these sports is not only diversifying the athletic world but also creating so many new opportunities for female athletes. The expansion of emerging sports is a clear sign of progress with more schools embracing these programs.
Triathlon, with its impressive growth, is on the brink of reaching this milestone, while women's wrestling has already achieved it. The bottom line is that emerging sports are working and are bringing in talent. As the number of programs continues to grow, more young women will be inspired to pursue their athletic dreams, knowing they can succeed in these rising sports. The future of women’s athletics looks better than ever, with new paths being carved every day for the next generation of elite athletes.
