How the sports world is celebrating International Women’s Day
Wednesday is International Women’s Day, a holiday celebrating the achievements of women around the world.
Sports leagues and companies, from the NBA to ESPN, are among the organizations taking part in related festivities.
Here’s a look at how the sports world is celebrating women on Wednesday:
NBA
The NBA is celebrating International Women’s Day by spotlighting the work of women officials. The league’s @NBAOfficial Twitter account noted that five women officials will be working NBA games tonight and eight will be working in the G League.
Five of the eight full-time officials are working tonight’s @NBA games, while eight women are officiating in four @NBAGLeague games – including an all-female crew (Jenna Reneau, Clare Aubry and Catherine Chang) for the @blue_coats at @Raptors905 game.
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) March 8, 2023
WNBA
The WNBA, like the NBA, sees International Women’s Day as a chance to boost awareness of lesser-known female employees. Throughout the day Wednesday, the official WNBA Twitter account shared factsheets about women who work for teams in the league.
Happy International Women's Day 💜
Throughout the day, we'll spotlight the women in our league, who often don’t get their stories told but we all know it takes more than just the players on the court who are part of a team’s success
We appreciate you 🙌 pic.twitter.com/UfX7MhK8ey— WNBA (@WNBA) March 8, 2023
MLS
Major League Soccer released a statement about the importance of celebrating women and then a series of threads about women doing important work for the league.
Happy #InternationalWomensDay!
MLS wouldn't be the same without the women across our league who make our soccer possible. 💜 pic.twitter.com/wXpQqTDug4— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 8, 2023
ESPN
For International Women’s Day, ESPN put together three women-only coverage teams. Six of the nine women will be working in the studio on top shows like “NBA Countdown,” while the other three will lead the broadcast for Wednesday’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans.
March 8, ESPN celebrates #InternationalWomensDay with all-women led #NBA coverage teams
🏀 3p ET | #NBAToday
🏀 7p ET | NBA Countdown
🏀 7:30p ET | #MFFL vs #Pelicans
🏀 10p ET | #ClipperNation vs #WeTheNorth
More: https://t.co/4Kh5GXFfnl | #ThatsaW pic.twitter.com/scqnEQg3mv— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) March 3, 2023
NHL Network
In honor of International Women’s Day, NHL Network put together an all-women crew of hosts for “NHL Now.”
In honor of #InternationalWomensDay and #WomensHistoryMonth, we're celebrating with an all-women edition of NHL Now!
Don't miss @Jackie_Redmond, @JamieHersch and @LGRed talking hockey with some incredible guests, starting at 4pm ET/1pm PT 📺 pic.twitter.com/gBxWTTO03B— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 8, 2023
ESPN+
ESPN’s streaming service, ESPN+, is celebrating International Women’s Day by debuting a new documentary on Black female hockey players called “Ice Queens.”
On #InternationalWomensDay, @ESPNPlus will debut the @NHL original production 'Ice Queens'
'Ice Queens' is a documentary showcasing the resilience, perseverance, & value of female Black hockey players on the sport
🌟 @nursey16, @SportBlake, more
March 8 | @ESPNPlus | @PR_NHL pic.twitter.com/VIWmd384Om— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) March 6, 2023