​Multiple guests walking the red carpet at the inaugural TIME100 Sports Gala in New York City on July 16 joined in celebrating the ascent of women’s sports, sharing praise for the growing impact and visibility of female athletes. Eileen Gu, a 2026 TIME100 Sports honoree who has earned six Olympic medals, told the crowd, “Everybody watches women’s sports!” The Chinese-American freestyle skier, who was named a TIME100 Sports honoree this year, said she felt honored to be “among greatness” at an event recognizing the most influential athletes, coaches, advocates, and investors shaping the sports world. “Being a woman in a male-dominated sport, growing up, there weren’t many athletes who looked like me,” Gu reflected. “I’m so grateful and so blessed to represent this sport on the world stage.” She added a hopeful note: she hopes her presence and story will encourage at least one young girl watching at home to give the sport a try and feel that it belongs to her, too.
Gu wasn’t the only guest to spotlight the rise of women’s sports on the red carpet. Hilary Knight, another 2026 TIME100 Sports honoree, who led the United States women’s hockey team to gold at the Milano Cortina Olympic Games in February, emphasized the importance of visibility. “Visibility is huge,” Knight asserted. “To be able to be represented, and for people to show up and be a part of what we’re doing, is just so incredible.” Knight noted that more than 18,000 fans packed Madison Square Garden in April to watch Seattle Torrent, led at the time by Knight, face the New York Sirens—the largest attendance for a women’s hockey game at a U.S. venue. “I truly believe sport can unite people like nothing else, and it’s just so special to be a part of that,” Knight said.
Closing out the red carpet that evening was Trinity Rodman, a 2026 TIME100 Sports honoree and a standout American soccer player for the Washington Spirit and the U.S. national team. She spoke about leadership and the importance of communicating her personality to young fans both on and off the field. The night before the gala, Rodman and her Spirit teammates had taken on Gotham FC at Citi Field in front of a sold-out crowd exceeding 40,000, setting a new attendance record for a women’s sporting event in New York City. “You want to play your best, perform at the highest level, and achieve as much as possible, but at the end of the day you’re also the person off the field,” Rodman said on the red carpet. “That’s huge—showing who you are through all these events.”
The TIME100 Sports Gala—an event that honors the most influential athletes, coaches, advocates, and investors in sports—was presented by J.P. Morgan, Toyota, Target, The Macallan, and the American Heart Association. The night highlighted a broader trend: the ongoing rise of women’s sports in terms of visibility, attendance, leadership, and cultural influence, reflecting a shift toward greater recognition and investment across leagues, teams, and media. The gala’s celebration of women’s achievements underscored a shared optimism about the future of women athletes in a landscape growing more inclusive and influential by the year.