An accelerating growth of magnitude, including fame, fortune, importance, or danger
The success of these women has had the snowball effect of bringing more and more women into the sport over the past few years.
Snowball effect is a figurative term for a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger (graver, more serious), and perhaps potentially dangerous or disastrous (a vicious circle, a "spiral of decline"), though it might be beneficial instead (a virtuous circle)