Fujak, HunterMcLeod, JoshuaWymer, Sarah2026-06-082026-06-082025-10-25Leisure Sciences, ISSN: 0149-0400 (Print); 1521-0588 (Online), Informa UK Limited, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/01490400.2025.25771980149-04001521-0588http://hdl.handle.net/10292/21342This study adopts agenda-setting theory to examine how emergent Australian women’s professional sports leagues have impacted the distribution of media coverage between genders and sports. In doing so, it assesses how these leagues have simultaneously challenged and reinforced hegemonic cultural structures that shape leisure choice. Quantitative newspaper content analysis from 2019 to 2023 produced 21,129 entries, equating to 8,690 pages of content. Logistic regression revealed a modest rise in overall women’s sport coverage, driven by high-profile international events. In contrast, domestic women’s leagues exhibited limited coverage growth. However, coverage is redistributing between women’s professional leagues, with those aligned to culturally dominant and historically male-oriented sports growing their visibility. This shift exhibits leisure implications, as media hierarchies shape societal perceptions of which sports are valued. The emergence of new women’s sport leagues thus presents a paradox: their growth has created opportunities for women but done so by marginalizing historically female-oriented sports.© 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/3504 Commercial Services35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and ServicesWomen's Health1504 Commercial Services1506 TourismSport, Leisure & Tourism3508 TourismAgenda Setting Theorycultural oligarchieshegemonic masculinitymedia representationwomen’s professional sport leaguesJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1080/01490400.2025.2577198