What will be the next women's sport to take off? Here are some of the fastest-growing

Women’s sports are having a moment right now.

I couldn’t be happier, given my daughter is a budding athlete.

Obviously, the current standard bearer is Caitlin Clark, the Iowa sensation who recently was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft.

Let’s not forget the amazing efforts of her contemporaries, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and JuJu Watkins, to name a few.

Let's also not forget the pioneers that came before them.

Perhaps the first women’s sport to make a mainstream crossover was women’s tennis in the 1970s and 1980s.

Women’s golf also could stake a claim.

There’s always gymnastics, but the U.S. only seems to care about that once every four years.

Speaking of the U.S., the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team ratcheted up women’s sports a notch, beginning in 1999 when they won the World Cup, and continuing in the 25 years since.

With basketball now moving further into the women’s sports lexicon, it makes me wonder what will be the next women’s sport to break through.

Here are my contenders:

Volleyball grows as a pro sport

The second reporting beat I ever covered as a student journalist was the University of Florida’s women’s volleyball team.

In 1999, they were in the top 5 most of the year. The orchestration of volleyball at that level is nothing short of remarkable. I had never seen anything like it.

Unfortunately, women’s volleyball has never had a consistent pro league to speak of.

Maybe now is their time.

In January, the new Pro Volleyball Federation began play with seven teams, with another three expansion teams planned if all goes according to plan.

In Florida, the Orlando Valkyries are one of the inaugural teams. They have some work to do if they want to catch the league's best team, the Atlanta Vibe, but, hey, it’s a start.

Flag football, backed by the NFL?

It wasn’t all that long ago that flag football was a thing of Powder Puff games.

Now, however, it’s a serious sport spreading throughout high schools across the country.

It might be some time before it becomes mainstream, but it’s also an entertaining sport that allows these female athletes to show that they can have football skills, too.

I can already hear some of the cavemen voices out there: “If they want to be football players, then they need to tackle each other or it’s not real football.”

Let’s ball up that attitude, throw it in the trash and step into the 2020s so we can support these women.

Think I’m crazy? The NFL is getting involved.

According to their website: This summer, the NFL will be introducing a NEW, elevated Championship Tournament format to celebrate the best of the best across the youth Flag Football world, domestically and globally. The NFL FLAG Championships, a first-of-its-kind tournament hosted by the NFL, ESPN, RCX Sports and Omaha will take place in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on July 19-21 and will feature the very best of girls’ and boys’ youth flag talent.

See, this is only the beginning.

Wrestling has had astronomical growth

No, not professional wrestling. Mat wrestling.

However, I wonder how many girls know the name, “The Fabulous Moolah?”

In a much different time, she was the women’s professional wrestling champion for nearly three decades.

She was easily the most recognizable name in women’s wrestling from the 1960s through the 1980s, until Chyna came along in the mid-90s, changing how the world looked at professional women wrestlers.

It took two more decades for women’s professional wrestling to develop into a respected art, but now, women main event cards as regularly as men.

Professional wrestling may have no bearing on amateur wrestling, but their history is similar.

There was a time when the occasional high school girl would show up on a boys team. Apparently, in 1990, there were only around 100 girl wrestlers in the country.

Nowadays, girls wrestling is sanctioned in 45 states.

As of 2023, there are around 50,000 girl wrestlers in the U.S, according to figures from the National Federation of State High School Associations.

I’m a journalist so I’m not great at math, but going from 100 to 50,000 in 34 years seems pretty significant.

I’m sure some of these girls will aspire to be Olympic champions. Others may aspire to be pioneers, like the Fabulous Moolah.

Pickleball has the court

Look out tennis, pickleball is coming for all your stuff!

The recreation sensation is no longer just for your Grandma in The Villages.

Pickleball is spreading through the country, taking over tennis courts everywhere, and in many cases, now having their own courts built.

There’s even Major League Pickleball. That’s right, MLP.

Not ready to take it seriously?

What if I told you 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel was just drafted into the league recently.

Do you think someone with the competitive drive of a national champion would do something they didn’t take seriously? Then you should take it seriously, too.

I guess this technically is a booming sport for both women and men, but it’s definitely worth a mention.

It's bizarre to think women only got the right to vote 104 years ago. Nowadays, not only can they vote, they can also dunk on you!

Walters is the Sports Editor for The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville and Florida Today in Melbourne. Contact him at twalters@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Move over Caitlin Clark, these women’s sports got next | Walters