Whoopi Goldberg announces launch of groundbreaking global 247 women’s sports network AWSN | Sporting News

Buckle up. Whoopi Goldberg is embarking on a new initiative that surely a lot of people didn’t see coming. What is that initiative you ask? Why only a brand new women’s sports network — something she gave more details about on the Wednesday night episode of “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon,” where she chatted about her plans for doing her part in helping the fast-growing expansion of women’s sports as a whole, in a year where we’ve seen the fast rise of superstars like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. 

Goldberg, who is currently starring as Miss Hannigan in the Broadway musical “Annie,” revealed during her appearance that sports has been a lifelong passion of hers but that she was discouraged as a youngster due to “being a girl.”

“Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to play sports. My brother could play,” she told Fallon, adding, “He played baseball, he played softball, he played basketball, he played everything And they would say, ‘Oh, hi little girl.'” While Goldberg’s sports career may not have worked out as initially imagined, her massive success as an actress, television host and entrepreneur has put her in a position where she can achieve her dreams in a different way.

Goldberg’s network is just another part of a broader initiative of celebrities investing in women’s sports, with the mogul joining the likes of Kevin Durant, Natalie Portman, Alexis Ohanian, Patrick Mahomes and others.

Here is everything we know so far about Goldberg’s upcoming women’s sports network thus far.

What is Whoopi Goldberg’s sports network?

Goldberg’s sports network is entitled AWSN (All Women Sports Network). Per the official website, the company is a global sports television network dedicated exclusively to women’s sports and will be available in 65 countries. “I’m launching the first global women’s sports channel,” she told Fallon, adding, “It’ll be the home for live women’s sports from around the world. Everything from soccer, basketball, tennis, cricket, curling, you name it — if a woman is playing it, we’re showing it.”

What is the goal of AWSN?

According to Goldberg, the goal of AWSN is to “rectify the imbalance in sport representation, championing the cause of female athletes one step at a time.”

What does the future of AWSN look like?

The future is bright for AWSN, which is something Goldberg reiterated to Fallon during her interview. “We’re growing really fast. We’ve already launched in Asia, the Middle East, India on Jio (JioTV), and we’ve got a big announcement about our US launch coming next week.” Goldberg also added that she hopes female athletes can start having their own trading cards the way male athletes in other fields have been able to. 

“I feel like that will help us show that athletics, when they’re done brilliantly…it doesn’t matter who’s doing it. We don’t really have that relationship with women’s sports.”

Stay tuned for additional AWSN announcements in the coming weeks.

MORE: Angel Reese highlights WNBA salary disparity: Will new leagues compete for top talent?