LA 2028 Olympics near as demands from bigger sports strain Olympic programs
The Women’s Sports Foundation called on philanthropists to direct giving toward nonrevenue college sports, warning that Olympic-sport programs like women’s gymnastics and men’s tennis risk being strained by the financial pressures reshaping college athletics.
Foundation CEO Danette Leighton said the business of college sports has centered on one product — college football — leaving Olympic sports without the opportunity to thrive on their own. Donor support, she argued, can protect those teams by endowing scholarships for women’s gymnastics or men’s tennis.
“There are a lot of philanthropists that are really passionate about women’s sports or men’s Olympic sports,” Leighton said. “They should make sure that that’s where their funding is going directly.”
The appeal comes as interest in women’s sports is “booming” and Olympic sports organizers lock in preparations for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press. Both the Olympic pipeline and the broader women’s-sports ecosystem depend on college athletic programs, and advocates worry those programs may be strained further by “increased demands from bigger sports.”
Leighton did not name specific donors or institutions in the appeal. The Associated Press report did not identify which programs face the most immediate strain or whether any programs have already reduced Olympic-sport offerings.