I don’t know what your last sports memory of the year was, but I hope it was better than mine.
The exhibition match between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka on December 28 was called a rematch of the Battle of the Sexes. It had nothing to do with the original 1973 event, with Billie Jean King, which was relevant in the search for gender equality in tennis.
Seeing, in the middle of 2025, a tennis player who confessed to having attacked his ex-girlfriend, makes sexist comments and is ranked 671st in the ATP rankings face the number one in the world on a court where her side was smaller than his – after all, according to organizers, “women are slower” – was pathetic.
It wasn’t entertainment, it was a disservice to women’s sport. It is difficult to understand whether what made Sabalenka submit to this was a thirst for money, bad advice or both. She lost, giving more fuel to those who support the narrative that female athletes are inferior.
In 2025, it was also hard to hear sexist comments from sports directors and coaches, to see fans harassing female journalists who were just trying to do their job, and to see women’s football teams treated with disdain compared to men at the same club. Despite everything, we continue. There are reasons for optimism in women’s sport and to see the glass as half full.
In just over a decade, women’s football has seen huge growth, and, in much of the world, it is known that it is a big business for investors and brands. Tournaments such as the Champions League, European Championship and World Cup had record attendance and attendance. According to FIFA (International Football Federation), almost 1 billion people watched the 2023 World Cup on television.
Society follows the change, and today it is common to see girls playing football, including in Brazil. The final of the women’s rugby World Cup, between England and Canada, was the most watched rugby match in the United Kingdom of the year, between men and women, just to mention another case.
Previously taboo, topics such as menstruation and pregnancy in sport are now openly debated. Athletes have the courage to talk about themselves and demand their rights. Managers have become aware that their careers do not end when they have children, that they have the right to employment contracts, maternity leave and support upon return, when they need to take young children to training and competitions.
Initiatives such as the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to achieve gender parity at the Olympic Games were successful, and this was practically achieved in Paris-2024. In recent years, the way official television broadcasts are carried out has changed, putting an end to closed images of athletes’ bodies.
There are also advances behind the cameras, with IOC programs to increase the number of female cameramen in arenas. I speak with knowledge because I was part of these teams as a reporter and worked with excellent professionals. It’s not about giving them “quotas”, but opportunities in a male-dominated environment.
Another error in this fake Battle of the Sexes was trying to equate men and women. The women’s game has its own space, it is not the same as the men’s game, nor does it need to be. And that is one of the beauties of sport. Luckily, the world is realizing this more and more.
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