St. Paul, Minn. — There's more than just the roar of fans echoing through Xcel Energy Center. That is the growing support for women's sports.
Women's hockey is more accessible than ever. Take a look at the Minnesota High School League Girls Hockey Tournament.
“It's a lot different now than it was 10 years ago,” said Leslie Rimstaff, who was at the stadium cheering on her daughter. “We see far more women's sports in the media now than we did 10 years ago.”
At that time, women's hockey may not have been popular yet.
“This has significantly strengthened PWHL,” Rimstav said. “It was great for the women.”
RELATED: 2024 Minnesota Girls State High School Hockey Tournament Scores
Thankfully, times have changed.
“The lack of coverage has had an impact on women in sports, in that when women are not represented, they face even greater challenges to transportation equity,” said Courtney Boucher, University of Minnesota Tucker He is the Center's Assistant Director of Research and Programming. . “They have a harder time getting stability of opportunity, sponsorship and longevity in the sport because no one is watching.
Fans say they wish women's sports had been in the news a long time ago.
Boucher said that 10 years ago, only 4% of coverage was about women's sports. You can see that it's currently around 15%.
Jackie Petersen and her family are cheering on her granddaughter's school at this weekend's state girls hockey tournament. Especially since this should never have been an option when she was in school. She is the grandmother of a child who represents her school in championships.
RELATED: PWHL Minnesota is already making an impact on young hockey players
“That never happened,” she said.
Her granddaughter Cece says that's not fair.
“It's sad because girls should be able to do what boys can do,” she said.
But now young athletes can see themselves in the game.
“It makes me feel like I can do it too,” said seventh-grader Mary Koenig.
And that's a message that should be heard loud and clear.
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