With all the headlines surrounding Angel Reese, the fandom around the WNBA continues to grow. This year, the WNBA opened with its highest attendance in 26 years for an opening month. It also had its most watched start. Celebrities are sitting courtside, and games are selling out, proving that women’s sports is here to stay.

With the WNBA’s increasing popularity, it can be easy to overlook the many other women’s sports leagues. In those leagues, there are many notable Black women athletes dominating the scene, making headlines, breaking records and taking titles. 

Black girl magic isn’t centric to women’s basketball. It is universal and exists in every sector. Here are some women’s sports athletes you should know. 

National Women’s Hockey League

Blake Bolden

In recent years, there has been an effort to diversify figure skating and hockey, and Blake Bolden is leading the charge. Bolden is an ice hockey player and a two-time world champion. In 2015, she became the first Black player to compete in the league. Five years later, she became the first Black female scout for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.

National Women’s Soccer League

Trinity Rodman

The soccer league launched in 2012, as a successor to the Women’s Professional Soccer. The NWSL has made headlines numerous times for the players’ continuous push for equal pay.

The daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, Trinity Rodman has made a name for herself on the pitch since joining the league. At age 18, she became the youngest drafted player in NWSL history after being selected second in the 2021 NWSL College Draft. Trinity Rodman plays as a forward for the NWSL’s Washington Spirit and for the U.S. national team. In 2021, she was the NWSL Rookie of the Year. In 2022, she received a four-year $1.1 million contract extension from the Washington Spirit, the largest contract in league history at the time.

Ladies Professional Golf Association

Mariah Stackhouse

On the LPGA and Symetra Tour, there are 2 percent of Black players, compared with 55 percent of white competitors. To ensure she was not “othered” in a predominately white sport, professional golfer Mariah Stackhouse’s father surrounded her by other Black players. Originally from Riverdale, Georgia, Stackhouse is the LPGA’s only full-time Black player. Stackhouse is a graduate of Stanford University, where she was a four-year All-American. In 2015, she helped Stanford University win its first NCAA women’s golf title, 3-2 over Baylor.

World Wrestling Entertainment

Bianca Belair

Known by her ring name Bianca Belair, Bianca Nicole Blair Crawford is a professional wrestler and fitness and figure competitor. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Belair earned All-SEC and All-American honors in track-and-field at the University of Tennessee. She’s been competing for the WWE since 2016, and she was the Raw Women’s Champion in 2022 and 2023. 

Nascar

Brehanna Daniels

When Brehanna Daniels joined NASCAR, she knew she wanted to be an example for other little Black girls who are wanting to join the sport. Daniels is the first Black woman to become a NASCAR pit crew member. In 2016, while she was playing point guard for Norfolk University’s basketball team, NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program recruited her.

Women’s Tennis Association (WTA)

Taylor Townsend

Taylor Townsend is a professional tennis player known as one of the most gifted and versatile doubles players on the U.S. Open tour. She has been ranked as high as world No. 57 in singles by the WTA, which she achieved on April 8, 2024. She made her debut in the Top 5 of the women’s doubles rankings on June 12, 2023.