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Fifty-One Percent
51%

Jane McManus on ‘The Fast Track’

By Jesse King
Published March 13, 2025 at 8:00 PM EDT
Temple University Press/New York University
Book cover and headshot of Jane McManus

On this week’s 51%, we speak with sports journalist Jane McManus about the history and business of women’s sports, as detailed in her new book The Fast Track. From pay gaps to broadcasting hurdles, McManus says a number of forces have held women’s sports back since the passage of Title IX in the 1970s, but she maintains the idea that “people aren’t interested in women’s sports” has always been a myth. With the rise of stars like Caitlin Clark and Megan Rapinoe, McManus says interest in women’s sports is becoming harder for industry leaders to ignore, and there is a lot of money to be made in it.

Guest: Jane McManus, author of The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women’s Sports

 
51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

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Tags
51% Jane McManusbookWomen's sports
Jesse King
Jesse King is the host of WAMC's national program on women's issues, "51%," and the station's bureau chief in the Hudson Valley. She has also produced episodes of the WAMC podcast "A New York Minute In History."
See stories by Jesse King
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