It’s 2013, so this shouldn’t even need to be said, but: did you know that in 2011, NBC’s Sunday Night Football was the third most-watched program among American women ages 18 to 49, even beating out the harmonizing moppets of Glee? (In case you were wondering, the top two programs were Dancing With the Stars and Grey’s Anatomy. Looks like your Mom had control of the remote all year.) Did you also know that according to Nielsen ratings, the number of women watching Sunday Night Football rose by 23 percent between 2009 and 2011? You probably didn’t; in fact, if you believe every beer commercial, Yahoo Answers commenter, narrow-minded women’s magazine, or PR firm sending us press releases about how to girl up Super Bowl parties with prosecco, you’d probably think that football was women’s Three Doors Down song, an inconvenience made tolerable only through making football-shaped crustless snacks or personalizing baby doll tees.

Why? Because dude is the worst.

Augusta National Golf Club, the annual host of the Masters golf tournament, announced this morning that it would add two women to its membership roster, 79 years after the club was founded.

Miraculously, the earth did not break open and no fire or brimstone were reported on the scene.

Three huge cheers this morning: A woman will officiate an NFL game for the first time. Sure, it’s a pre-season game — Packers versus Chargers, this Thursday night — but still. A woman will officiate an NFL game.

Throughout the 2012 summer games, the Emotions Police have been in full effect. First, U.S. gymnast Jordyn Wieber’s misty-eyed disappointment enjoyed near-obsessive coverage (and Slate delightfully skewered the absurd media scrutiny over her tears). In another instance, the Guardian declared that “weeping not winning has been the order of the day around the pool,” for some female swimmers.

It’s no wonder then that the Devil’s Gazette Daily Mail ran its own critical story on women’s beach volleyball players and their celebratory rituals today. And it was ugly.

Earlier this month, after weeks of back-and-forth negotiations, Saudi Arabia announced it would send two women to the Olympic Games. No, it was not Saudi officials’ choice. In the months leading up to the London 2012 games, the International Olympic Committee issued an ultimatum: Send women from your country to the games, or don’t send any athletes at all. It was some tough talk.

Our first instinct was to cheer — hey, it was only two women but at least it was something. But others weren’t so enthused. Saudi Arabia only sends two women to the Olympics, after what was tantamount to a threat from the IOC? Why are we celebrating? And in a way, the naysayers are right. But should we really label this victory a draw? It’s not quite that simple.

The Japanese women’s soccer squad is expected to perform extremely well in this year’s Olympic games. Some have even speculated that they could take home the gold. And after winning the World Cup last year, the team has achieved a certain celebrity status. Bottom line: They rock.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re good enough to fly first-class, according the Japanese Olympic officials. What?

The other day Maria Sharapova made history when she was named as Russia’s first-ever female Olympic flag-bearer. So that got us thinking: Everybody knows Maria Sharapova is a competitive athlete and a truly talented professional tennis player, but what else is this 25 year old doing in order to be so successful? Having won her first grand-slam at the young age of 17, Maria has gone on to become a driving force in professional women’s tennis, but that’s not all.

It’s almost time to start watching the Olympics! But while we are all super excited at The Jane Dough to see all the athletes, there are several interesting and inspiring female athletes we’re especially thrilled to see. We definitely plan on following the successes of these impressive women and we hope you look out for them during the Olympics this year, too!

The same day CNN’s Anderson Cooper confirmed he’s gay, U.S. women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe announced she’s gay as well.