If you look at sports through the lens of women athletes, they are crushing it. Yes, we’re all pretty obsessed by the athletic marvels that are Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins. But the broader themes reinforce collective growing momentum.
- Female athletes made up more than half (52%) of college athletes with NIL deals during the 2023/24 season – an increase from 38% YOY.
- In 2022, despite having only half of the deals and social posts of male athletes, women logged a 27M engagement score compared to 6.5M for men.
- The number of sponsorship deals in women’s professional sports has increased more than 22 percent YOY.
- WNBA, NWSL and collegiate sports are all experiencing record attendance numbers.
But if you are looking at sports through a media lens, there remains a massive gap.
- In 2023, brands were spending an average of 9% on women’s sports.
- In the U.S., women's sports comprise roughly half of the total competitions played across collegiate, professional, and national sports events, while only receiving 15% of the coverage.
- Nearly 45% of sports fans between the ages of 16-64 think women’s sports should be highlighted more by the media.
This is not to say that progress is not being made. It is. Women’s sports coverage is growing. And in 2024, Women’s Soccer signed the most expensive media rights deal in women’s history. But in the “chicken or the egg” scenario of media wanting committed advertisers to secure broadcast rights and brands wanting large audiences to justify investment, there is an opportunity for brands to jump in in a bigger way.
- Broaden the Fan Experience. Nearly 40% of global sports fans are interested in non-live content related to live sports events. This number jumps to 44% when looking at fans ages 16-29. For both broadcasters and brands, this underscores a clear opportunity to create, promote and sponsor the women’s sports stories fans want, and engage fans in broader ways.
- Create More Opportunities. Brands can use the muscle of their advertising dollars to encourage media to create showcase opportunities for major female events. Until a couple years ago, the NCAA women’s tournament couldn’t even use the term “March Madness.”
- Expand Audience Engagement. While it’s exciting to see brands that uniquely target women stepping forward (e.g., Glossier, Barbie), remember that the joy and excitement of watching a superstar like Caitlyn Clark hit a shot from the logo is not uniquely applicable to a female audience. The NFL’s “Swift Effect'' created millions of opportunities for sports dads to bond with their daughters. Brands can extend this welcome phenomenon by further elevating women’s sports, not just to connect with moms and daughters, but also to their husbands and dads.
I encourage all major brands to take another look at this exciting opportunity.
