Women created Newcomb ball, a game devised by physical educator Clara Baer, and helped shape netball from early women’s basketball. Women also played a major role in developing artistic swimming, though its origins were shared rather than the work of one inventor.
The answer depends on what “created” means. Some sports were designed by women; others grew from rules and adaptations made by women over time. Here are the clearest examples, plus a useful distinction between inventing a sport and creating a women’s version of an existing one.
What sports did women create?
Newcomb ball is the clearest example of a sport invented by a woman. Clara Gregory Baer, a physical education teacher at Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans, devised it in the 1890s as a group ball game that students could play by throwing and catching a ball over a net.
Netball is another strong example of a sport shaped by women. It developed as women adapted basketball for their own teams and playing conditions. Its rules took shape through the work of women teachers and organizers, rather than one single inventor.
Artistic swimming, originally known as water ballet, also grew through women’s contributions. Women performers and physical educators helped turn aquatic routines into an organized sport. But its history includes broader influences, so it is more accurate to call it a women-led development than a sport invented by one woman.
These distinctions matter: a sport can be created from scratch, developed collectively, or adapted from an existing game. Those are different kinds of achievement.
Newcomb ball: a game designed by Clara Baer
Clara Baer developed Newcomb ball for students at Sophie Newcomb College in the 1890s. The basic idea is simple: players catch and throw a ball over a net to score, rather than hitting it back as in volleyball. The catching-and-throwing format makes the game easy to learn and encourages participation across a team.
Baer’s work is significant because she did not simply adjust a few rules for women. She created a distinct game for group play in a physical education setting. Newcomb ball became popular in schools and recreation programs, where its straightforward skills made it accessible to players with different levels of experience.
It is sometimes confused with volleyball because both use a net. They are separate sports with different histories and ways of handling the ball. Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan; Newcomb ball was devised by Baer.
Netball: women shaped a sport from basketball
Netball grew out of basketball as the game spread to women’s schools and physical education programs in the late 19th century. Women teachers adapted how players moved, passed, and occupied areas of the court. Over time, those changes formed a distinct sport with its own rules and identity.
Because netball developed through many people and settings, it is hard to credit its invention to one woman. Women educators, including Martina Bergman-Österberg in England, helped teach and spread versions of women’s basketball. Clara Baer also contributed to the development of women’s basketball rules in the United States, but that does not make her the sole inventor of netball.
Today’s netball has seven players per team. Each position has a defined area of the court, and only certain positions can shoot. Players generally cannot run with the ball; they stop, pivot, and pass to a teammate. These rules distinguish netball from basketball and reflect the sport’s own evolution.
What to call it: Netball is best described as a sport developed by women through adaptation, rather than a game invented by one named woman at one moment.
Artistic swimming: a sport built through women’s work
Artistic swimming combines swimming, coordinated movement, and music. The sport developed from water ballet performances and organized aquatic routines. Women performers and instructors were central to making those routines a formal competitive activity.
Its history is not a simple case of a single female inventor. Aquatic performance had several influences, and the competitive sport took shape over time. The most accurate summary is that women played a major role in developing and establishing artistic swimming.
That history also shows why “created by women” can be a broad label. A sport may have been built by many people, with women providing much of the teaching, performance, rule-making, or organization that turned an activity into a recognized competition.
How these sports differ from women’s versions of other games
A women’s division is not automatically a sport created by women. For example, women’s basketball is a branch of basketball, a game invented by James Naismith. Women educators shaped its rules and made it playable in different settings, but the distinction between inventing basketball and developing women’s basketball should remain clear.
The same care applies to other sports. Women may have helped establish a women’s format, organize competitions, or change rules without inventing the underlying sport. Recognizing that work accurately gives women credit without rewriting a game’s origins.
| Sport | Women’s role | How to describe its origin | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcomb ball | Clara Baer devised the game | Designed by a woman | A clear example of a woman inventing a sport |
| Netball | Women teachers and organizers adapted and spread the game | Developed collectively from women’s basketball | Understanding how adaptation can create a distinct sport |
| Artistic swimming | Women performers and educators helped formalize aquatic routines | Women-led development with multiple influences | Seeing how performance can become a competitive sport |
| Women’s basketball | Women shaped rules and organized play | A women’s version of a sport invented by James Naismith | Separating rule-making from inventing the original game |
Why women created or adapted sports
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, schools and colleges increasingly offered physical education to women. Teachers needed activities suited to their students, available facilities, and prevailing ideas about exercise. Some adapted existing games; others designed new ones.
Those choices could affect the whole structure of a sport. A rule about where players could move, how they handled a ball, or how teams scored could change the game’s pace and tactics. Once schools and clubs taught those rules consistently, an adaptation could grow into a separate sport.
Women’s contributions also extended beyond making rules. Teachers introduced games to new groups, organizers arranged competitions, and players helped establish traditions and standards. A sport’s history often reflects this collective work as much as a single moment of invention.
How to tell whether a sport was invented by women
When you see a claim that a sport was “created by women,” check what the claim means. A few questions can help separate a direct invention from a later adaptation:
- Was the basic game newly devised? Newcomb ball meets this test: Clara Baer created a distinct catching-and-throwing game.
- Did the sport grow from another game? Netball developed from women’s adaptations of basketball, so its origins are collective.
- Did women help formalize an activity? Artistic swimming developed through organized aquatic performance, with women playing a major role.
- Is the claim about a women’s division? If so, check who invented the original sport and who later shaped its women’s rules.
This is a practical way to avoid two common errors: overlooking women’s influence because a sport has several origins, and crediting one woman with an entire sport that developed through many people’s work.
Common misconceptions about women-created sports
“If women made the rules, they invented the sport”
Not necessarily. Rule changes can create a distinct version or contribute to a new sport, but they do not always amount to inventing the original game. Netball’s relationship to basketball is a good example of why the wording matters.
“A sport must have one inventor”
Many sports develop gradually. Teachers, players, and organizers may each contribute rules or practices that become standard. In those cases, describing a sport as collectively developed is more accurate than naming a single creator.
“Women only adapted games for men”
That overlooks sports such as Newcomb ball, which Baer devised as a distinct game. Women also created new ways to organize, teach, and compete in physical activity, even when a sport’s roots lay elsewhere.
Women’s clearest standalone invention in this history is Newcomb ball. Netball and artistic swimming show a different kind of achievement: women helped build distinct sports through sustained adaptation, teaching, and organization.
If you want to explore the history further, start by comparing Newcomb ball with netball. Their different origins make it easy to see the difference between inventing a game and shaping one into a new sport.