In September 2019, I walked into 14 Plimpton Street for my first meeting with the Sports Committee. I was giddy with excitement. Of all the things I wanted to do while at Harvard, becoming a member of the Crimson was at the top of my list. As the former sports editor of my high school newspaper and a former high school athlete looking for a place to be active, I hoped Crimson Sports would be a place I could call home.
On the day of the conference, my excitement turned to anxiety, but my fears quickly disappeared as I got to know the reporters on the committee. They were thoughtful, talented, fun, and genuinely cared about our mission as sports reporters. Under the excellent guidance of Amir Mamdani ’20-22 and Eamon McLoughlin ’21, the competition process provided a constant supply of jokes and wisdom. During my induction, I read a woefully constructed limerick aloud. It may not have been objectively funny, but everyone laughed. It was at this moment that I knew I loved it here. Once I actually joined the committee, honorary chairman Will Boggs ’22 managed the team carefully and became an invaluable mentor to me. I took on the crew and, with all NCAA sports canceled for the next year, I worked with a great team to do the best I could.
When I assumed the role of athletics chair in January 2022 alongside my amazing co-chair Griffin Wong (Class of ’24), many of us suspected I would be the first woman to hold the position. After all, there were very few women on the board when I joined. However, after scouring the Crimson archives, I discovered that I was, in fact, the fifth woman to hold this role in the past 30 years, or among 60 chairs. I did not take that lightly. Aside from the obvious goals of enhancing post-COVID production and facilitating The Crimson’s transition to a “digital-first” future, we sought to change the demographics of our athletics committee to achieve a much greater gender balance.
It was a tall order, but what happened over the next two semesters was beyond my wildest dreams. Slowly, female competition professionals became more involved in the competition process and the organization. Now, as of this spring, we have 19 female and 19 male editors on the committee. This demographic change continued to the top, where of the two guards of chairs and competition directors elected after my and Griffin’s terms, four out of eight were women (kudos to Mairead Baker ’24, Katharine Forst ’25, Caroline Gage ’25, and Nadia Fairfax ’26!). It was an unprecedented leadership shift in the committee’s history, and it was amazing to witness and be a part of it.
At the same time, the popularity of women’s sports everywhere is soaring, and we’re seeing similar trends across the sports world. This evolution is widely reflected in college and professional leagues and media coverage. For example, between 2018 and 2022, media coverage of women’s sports nearly tripled. In 2023, the NFL saw a 70% increase in female viewership (thanks Taylor). This year, Caitlin Clark’s viewership surpassed MLB’s. At the University of Nebraska, 92,000 fans packed into the football stadium to watch women’s volleyball, the largest audience ever for a women’s sporting event. The WNBA recorded its highest viewership ever. This year is also the year that the professional women’s hockey league will have its first season. Women’s sports are gaining momentum around the world, and it’s truly thrilling to watch.
This is a unique moment in history where it is clear that there is a market, even a hunger, for women’s sports. We all benefit when women’s sports gets the respect it deserves. As the tides shift for women’s sports, the Crimson must remain vigorously committed to pursuing fair coverage. We have made great strides in this regard; let’s maintain this commitment and continue to evolve with the world.
—Alexandra N. Wilson (’24) served as co-chair of the Crimson’s athletics committee during her time with the 149th Guard. She can be reached at alexandra.wilson@thecrimson.com or on Twitter @alex_wilson2023.
