Women’s sports continue to excel and grow in popularity. College gymnastics are among the sports that have seen a recent boom in interest. ESPN appears to have taken notice because the network just added one of the most recognizable names in the sport.
Former Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman will join ESPN’s coverage of SEC gymnastics. The network announced Raisman’s move to the ESPN family on Thursday afternoon.
Raisman’s first appearance will come on SEC Network this Friday. A scheduled meet between the University of Kentucky and LSU, two nationally-ranked teams, marks her first assignment with the network.
3x Olympic champ @Aly_Raisman joins ESPN as an #NCAAGym analyst
Raisman's first assignment
🤸 No. 6 @UKGymnastics vs No. 8 @LSUgym
Friday | 9p ET | @SECNetwork🔗 via @people/@Neumannthehuman: https://t.co/eRIWuhkmEo
Details: https://t.co/OrvRuITrwX pic.twitter.com/RTQYn64I5L
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 18, 2024
Raisman is a former three-time Olympic Gold Medalist with the United States gymnastics team. She and Simone Biles were among the top gymnasts in the world when they were on the dominant U.S. gym team in the 2010s. She’s become a great ambassador for the sport since then.
So, it’s fair to say that when it comes to legitimacy, few would command the type of respect that Raisman would. She’s proven to be a likable presence before and, in all likelihood, will again in her new role.
Women’s college sports are certainly experiencing a rise in popularity. Between gym, volleyball, women’s basketball, and softball, everything is coming up on the right side of the coin. It’s always great to see hard work pay off.
[ESPN PR]
