On the first Wednesday of every February, the sports world pauses, and all of your favorite sports teams take a moment to share a message. Not for the best highlights of the week or the players of the game, but to recognize all the women who are part of their respective organizations.
This year, the first Wednesday falls on Feb. 4, and sports organizations around the country will take part in recognizing National Girls and Women in Sports Day, celebrating and advocating for women’s equality in sports.
The day was first recognized at the White House in 1987, during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, as a remembrance for Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her advocacy of equality in sports. Today, athletic departments and sports organizations across the country show their support for NGWSD and celebrate all the women in their organizations, including Clemson.
Over the past six years, Clemson has shown a lot of growth in women’s sports, including the addition of three women’s sports teams. In 2020, Clemson added a softball team, which produced a two-time ACC Player of the Year and won the 2025 ACC Championship.
In 2023, Clemson debuted two more teams: women’s lacrosse and women’s gymnastics. Both teams have participated in the NCAA postseason in their two full seasons and look to continue their success throughout the spring.
Clemson Athletics supports 11 Division I women’s sports, while also recognizing the contributions of women beyond those who compete. Clemson has female support staff in most of its 21 varsity sports, ranging from videographers, nutritionists and operations assistants. They all unite behind a common goal: to keep Clemson Athletics running at the highest standard.
Outside the athletic department, Clemson offers the Association of Women in Sports Media, a student-run organization open to women of all majors who are interested in sports. The organization provides professional development experiences, workshops and opportunities for members to expand their portfolios with press and media passes for Clemson sporting events.
“Recognizing women in sports through NGWSD is extremely important as it can bring awareness to the issues women in sports face and create opportunity amongst women across various different industries within sports,” said Erin Mason, a senior sports communication major and president of the Association for Women in Sports Media.
“To be a woman in sports is to be a woman who is resilient, confident, innovative and empowering,” Mason said.
