12 Women Who Changed Sports This Year

The conversation around women and sports has been fairly negative over the past few weeks. The domestic violence controversy surrounding the NFL has sparked discussions about the way professional sports organizations view women, and to what extent women ought to support these leagues.

But, not all the conversation has been so unfavorable. In fact, 2014 was quite a successful year for female athletes, coaches, and achievements. This year we saw a teenage girl break the ranks of little league baseball. We saw the first female coach in the NBA. And, we saw cheerleaders prove they’re so much more than a sideline peripheral.

Indeed, a dozen women started new dialogue about what it means to be both a female athlete and a female fan. Ahead, women who aren’t just part of the sports conversation — they’re the reason for it.