Destination Madison’s Post

Exciting news in the world of women's professional sports: Athletes Unlimited has announced that all four of its leagues - basketball, volleyball, softball, and lacrosse - will be featured on ESPN platforms this year. This landmark multiyear rights renewal not only showcases the growing appeal of women's sports but also marks a significant step towards greater visibility and accessibility for female athletes. The upward trend in viewership numbers, with lacrosse and softball experiencing notable increases, reflects a growing audience and a deepening appreciation for women's sports. Time to change perceptions and acknowledge the incredible talent and entertainment these athletes bring to the table. We should take note of these developments and consider how we can contribute to this positive momentum. Whether it's through strategic partnerships, innovative marketing, or simply tuning in to support, there are numerous ways we can help amplify women's sports. #WomensSports #ESPN #SportsLeagues https://lnkd.in/gccnF5T4

The NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament has completed its first two rounds, and the Sweet 16 is now set. Star players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers are expected to shine in the national spotlight and compete for the championship. Using data from SBRnet's Annual Study of Sports Fans, Bryce Hadley has analyzed some major trends in women's sports. One of the key takeaways from this analysis is that the 18-24 age group has shown the biggest increase in fan participation in women's sports. Specifically, in 2023, there was a 123.7% increase in 18-24-year-olds attending women's sporting events, which was the highest increase observed among any sport in our dataset. https://lnkd.in/geYYYMyy

Lots of great questions came in about our bid this week. ICYMI: we present to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in spring! Read up on why we want this women's professional soccer team, how a bid becomes a team and our timeline from here to opening day. ➡️ Have more questions? Ask in the comments below or send us a message. #womenssoccer #clevelandsports #cleveland #womenssports

🏀 She Shoots - She Scores! 🏀 NCAA basketball tournaments are underway, and Numerator surveyed nearly 500 consumers to find out their tournament-watching plans. Here’s what we found: ⛹️♀️ 30% of consumers plan to tune in to the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament. The top reasons for watching the women’s tournament include: 🎉 They like the social aspect (32%) 🏀 They generally enjoy watching women’s college basketball games (31%) ⛹️♀️ They like watching specific players (23%). ⛹️♀️ Among those consumers who like watching specific players, the favorites were Caitlin Clark (79%), JuJu Watkins (26%), Angel Reese (23%), Paige Bueckers (21%), and Aaliyah Edwards (17%). ⛹️♀️ When asked how much they agreed/disagreed with the statement "Caitlin Clark has had / is having a positive impact on women’s sports," 59% of all NCAA tournament viewers somewhat or strongly agreed, 19% neither agree nor disagreed, 3% somewhat or strongly disagreed, and 19% did not know of Caitlin Clark. #Numerator #MarchMadness #NCAAbasketball #basketball #MarchMadness2024 #survey

One of the most interesting sessions, IMO, from last week’s #digitalsummit was Nielsen’s Charlene Polite Corley's “She Got Game” presentation on the growing opportunities for brands in women’s sports. Here are a few highlights: - Four new professional women’s sports leagues will be starting in the next few months (soccer, volleyball, basketball, softball). - What's really cool is this means stand-out collegiate athletes will have a place to land after they graduate. - Sports broadcast networks are recognizing the increase in visibility, attendance and viewership of women's games: - Last month, the WNBA announced a $2.2B (that’s a B) 11-year media rights deal. - Last fall, the NSWL inked a historic $240M four-year media rights agreement. - Women’s rugby is one to watch…. #sportsmarketing #sponsorships #brand Kathy McConnell Lee Mayfield

Volleyball has always been a part of my life. From the day I could walk and talk until my sophomore year of college, I played and immersed myself as much as possible in the world of volleyball. Upon transferring to Grand Valley State University, I had to say goodbye to playing and redirect my focus towards my education. However, I firmly believe in the saying, "You can take the girl away from volleyball, but you can never take the volleyball away from the girl." Leveraging my public relations skills, I am now able to channel my passion for volleyball and support into my new realm of PR. In my latest article on the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) progression blog, I had the opportunity to explore how Nebraska Volleyball effectively utilized their PR skills, as well as the team's collective abilities, to build the special atmosphere they have now. Learn about Nebraska Volleyball and find out how they made history, created interesting content, and became excellent players overall. Check out the full article here: Setting the Standard: Nebraska Volleyball 2023’s PR Triumph

Today is National Girls & Women in Sports Day! 💪🏼 I love seeing the incredible achievements that young women have accomplished lately in the sports world. Here are just a few examples: 🏐 University of Texas women’s volleyball team winning the National Championship 2 YEARS IN A ROW - and University of Nebraska volleyball with a global record in televised attendance for a women’s event. 🏐 The brand new USA Professional Volleyball League gives college girls the opportunity to play both state-side and internationally. The first game of the season had 11,000+ attendees! 💵 NIL Deals in College, allowing athletes to earn money without sacrificing time away from their sport. Not all athletes get full scholarships! ⚽️ The massive new women’s soccer stadium opening in Kansas City in 2025. 🏈 And here in Texas, we’ve got high school girls teams for flag football (even wrestling!). How great is it that this could continue to grow… like it or not, Taylor Swifts’ NFL exposure during Chief’s games encourages more young women to watch the sport! As a former collegiate athlete, 100% I agree that being an athlete translates to professional success 💪🏼👏🏼 What other examples of success do you have? #womeninbusiness #womeninsales

KGR Sports Law Attorney William Bock argues against new Biden/Harris Title IX regulations in support of hundreds of passionate women athletes and clients. KGR filed three briefs this week with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati that defend a lawsuit filed by the States of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The multi-state suit states the new Title IX regulations violate the First and Fourteenth Amendment by allowing transgender and biological men to compete in female sports. These filings in the case of State of Tennessee v. Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education are on behalf of: (1) The Independent Council on Women’s Sports, (2) The International Consortium on Female Sport, and (3) More than 130 Female Athletes, including: Martina Navratilova (59x Tennis Grand Slam Champion) and Olympic Gold Medalists and/or World Champions Donna de Varona (swimming), Nancy Hogshead (swimming), Rhi Jeffrey (swimming), Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson (hockey), Monique Lamoureux-Morando (hockey), Linda Muri (Rowing), Mary Meagher Plant (swimming), Summer Sanders (swimming), Laura Wilkinson (diving), as well as more than 100 other NCAA, Olympic, Paralympic and professional athletes and coaches. #TitleIXrequirements #TitleIXLawsuit #RileyGaines #ICONS #ProtectWomensSports #TennesseeVCordova #IndianapolisLawFirm #KGR #IndyAttorneys #BillBock #TransgenderSports #BiologicalMen #FairnessinSports

The growth of women's sports isn't just trending; it's exploding, and 2024's set to ride that wave even higher. At Elixirr, we've had our eye on the data, and it's clear that ventures like the newly minted Pro Volleyball Federation are seizing the moment, amplifying the buzz from college standouts and global fan fever. Take the University of Nebraska volleyball team – they smashed attendance records, pulling in a crowd of 92,003!  It's a wake-up call, loud and clear - the world's watching women's sports, and it's cheering, investing, and demanding more. The PVF's just the start – with top-tier talent, serious sponsorship, and a vision to reshape the game, women's volleyball is serving up a whole new era of sports entertainment. We will be watching !! #WomensSports #Trends #SportsTrends #Data #Volleyball

Madisen Skinner is the 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 player this college volleyball season, thanks to her social media presence, on-court talent, and successful brand partnerships. With 𝟏.𝟕𝐌 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 tuning in for last year’s championship, breaking viewership records, this season has already set a new high for regular-season viewers just last weekend. Her NIL partners (VKTRY Gear, H-E-B, Red Bull, Olay, JBL Professional) are: 🅐 Tapping into volleyball's record-breaking viewership 🅑 Enhancing brand visibility with a rapidly growing athlete in a rising sport 🅒 Capitalizing on Skinner’s unparalleled content creation skills and the high engagement of female athletes on social media With women’s volleyball growing at an unprecedented rate, brand’s can’t afford to miss this opportunity. To help brands tap into the rising visibility of volleyball’s top athletes, we're excited to announce the release of our NCAA Women’s Volleyball Report. For the complete analysis of this season's top players, including full marketability profiles, NIL deal cost, brand partnerships, and more, click the link in the comments! #NIL #SocialMedia #SportsMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #NIL