Women’s sports gain increased respect and status in 2024

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone& reacts to winning the women’s 400-meter hurdles final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)& by& LOIS ELFMAN, Amsterdam News & Rugby player Ilona Maher, who garnered attention during the 2024 Paris Games for being ferocious in helping lead the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team to its first-ever Olympic medal and wearing bright red lipstick on the pitch while doing it, showed her range beyond the athletic arena by being the runner-up on this season’s “Dancing with the Stars.” The 28-year-old Maher became one of 2024’s symbols of the diversity of female athletes. She has been widely embraced as a voice for body positivity and understanding that women can be both strong and feminine. Respect for women’s sports shone brightly during the Olympic Games, whether it was the U.S. garnering first-ever medals, like rugby, returning to the medal podium, like soccer, or continuing dominance in track and field. “People hadn’t paid attention to women’s rugby before in the U.S.,” said Martine Charles, president and CEO of Marc Global Communications. Charles noted Michele Kang’s $4 million commitment to the USA Rugby women’s sevens team. Kang also...