Consumer Survey: More Brands Should Increase Support For Women’s Sports

By Barry Janoff

November 13, 2023: A new survey shows that nearly 80% of avid or casual sports fans believe brands should sponsor women’s sports and nearly three-quarters believe brands should sponsor men’s and women’s sports equally and that women’s sports will increase in popularity in the coming years.

The information arrives on the heels of the National Women’s Soccer League signing a $240 million media deal with CBS, ESPN, Amazon Prime and Scripps Sports ION — and in a year that has seen record attendance and broadcast numbers for the NWSL, FIFA Women’s World Cup, the WNBA, Hologic WTA Tour, LPGA and other women’s sports.

The survey was conducted by sales, consulting and media rights firm Aggregate Sports, in collaboration with Suzy, an end-to-end market research software platform.

In addition, survey respondents were asked to identify brands from a list of 20 that was provided who they believe are significant supporters of women’s sports.

Nike (66%), Gatorade (58%) and Coca-Cola (55%) topped the list.

The survey results also come with less than a year to go until the 2024 Paris Summer Games, where the number of female athletes is expected to be nearly equal to the number of male athletes.

That happened during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games (held in 2021 due to Covid-19), when for the first time in Olympic Summer Games history the gender gap between male and female athletes was nearly 50-50 (5,985 men, 5,498 women).

Also coming next year, the Professional Women's Hockey League, with the sport’s top women's players competing in three Canadian and three U.S. cities, under the auspices of Billie Jean King, via Billie Jean King Enterprises, and Mark Walter, chairman and controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

According to Aggregate Sports, “77% of those surveyed believe brands should sponsor women’s sports, 74% believe brands should sponsor men’s and women’s sports equally, 71% believe women’s sports will increase in popularity in the coming years and 62% feel better about a brand that sponsors women’s sports.”

“As interest and corporate support of women’s sports continues to grow at unprecedented rates, it is important for brands, marketers, and sports industry professionals to fully grasp changing consumer perceptions and behaviors around women’s sports,” Rem de Rohan, COO for Aggregate Sport, said via the firm.

“We partnered with Suzy to help us and others in the industry better understand current consumer views about women’s sports.”

Aggregate Sports works with USA Gymnastics, U.S. Figure Skating and U.S. Ski & Snowboard among its nine national governing bodies alliances. It has headquarters in New York and London.

As part of the survey, respondents were asked if they could identify the associated sport for 13 female athletes currently recognized as the top ranked in their sport.

The Top Five in terms of percentage of respondents who claimed to be able to identify the athlete and their sport all participate in Olympic sports:

• Simone Biles, gymnastics (48%)

• Katie Ledecky swimming (36%)

• Chloe Kim snowboarding (30%)

• Mikaela Shiffrin skiing (27%)

• Sunisa Lee gymnastics (27%)

Also among the survey findings:

• 58% believe brands should sponsor women’s Olympic sports heavier than women’s professional sports leagues

• 58% agree with the statement: “Women’s Olympic sports are more prestigious than women’s professional sports.”

• 58% believe that women competing in individual sports have a tougher challenge than women competing in team sports

• 55% agree with the statement: “I am more likely to be a fan of a female individual sport athlete than a woman in team sports.”

• 54% agree with the statement: “I am more likely to be a fan of a woman who is a champion in her sport than one who is not.”

According to Aggregate Sports, “With 62% of respondents agreeing with the statement, ‘I feel better about a brand that sponsors women’s sports,' the potential impact investing in women’s sports will have on purchasing habits is significant."

“Some early investors in women’s sports such as Visa, AT&T, and Nike fully understood the scope of the opportunity,” said de Rohan.

“But many brands are just now realizing that investing in women’s sports goes well beyond doing something socially good, it is good for business.”

How brands invest in women’s sports will be key, not only for their success in reaching consumers, but also in how they impact future generations of female athletes.
 
“Investment by brands in women’s professional leagues is a great start,” Ramsey Baker, svp, Aggregate Sports, said via the firm.

“However, there is still a huge disparity in access and opportunity for women and girls in sport and as a result there is a significant need for brands to invest in organizations that have the grass roots connectivity to increase opportunities.”

Based on recent news, there is no doubt that women’s sports, and interest from fans, media and marketers, is growing.

Both the WNBA and NWSL have unveiled expansion plans.

This past weekend, in front of a record-setting title match crowd of 25,011 in San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium NJ/NY Gotham FC earned its first NWSL championship. That came two days after the league said its new deals would give the NWSL four times the exposure it currently has.

“This moment is a celebration of how far we’ve come and the beginning of our future,” commissioner Jessica Berman said during a media conference.

According to Marie Donoghue, Amazon vp-U.S. sports content & partnerships.“The evolution of women’s sports — and specifically the NWSL — demonstrates that there is a growing audience for remarkable athletes and world-class competition, regardless of gender."

The WNBA this year had its most-watched regular season in 21 years and its highest total attendance in 13 years. Viewership across its national television partners — ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 — was up 21% over the 2022 season.

The league also set new highs across WNBA digital platforms, social media engagement and sports betting.

WNBA sponsorships are estimated to reach a league record $860.1 million from 307 active sponsorship agreements, according to the Business of the Women's National Basketball Association Sponsorship and Media Landscape  from GlobalData, a London-based  research, analysis and solutions firm.

According to the report, “Not only are these partners providing financial investment, but they are further elevating the league and players through marketing amplification and close strategic collaboration.”

In August, calling it “a game-changer for women's golf and women’s sports,” the LPGA and Fenway Sports Management signed “a unique sales alliance, focused on developing next-level tour marketing partnerships.”

This partnership will allow the LPGA to “expand its reach in identifying and engaging with new partners, paving the way for increased revenue generation and enhanced exposure on a global scale.”

This past June, envisioning a “new era in women’s tennis,” the Hologic WTA Tour unveiled a strategy intended to “create a solidified pathway toward equal prize money” and a revised calendar “providing sustainable long-term growth for women’s tennis.”

The WTA, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, said these key changes would “support the growth of the sport and enhance the overall experience for the WTA’s global fan base and key stakeholders within the game.”

In July, following months of discussion, the NCAA confirmed and provided details for the creation of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.

The 32-team postseason tournament, which will be owned and funded by the NCAA, will be held annually beginning in the 2023-2024 post-season.

“Women's basketball is at an all-time high with records being set for national championship and Final Four viewership, and the tournament was the most viewed since 2009," Jamie Boggs, chair of the Div. I Women's Basketball Oversight Committee and vp-athletics for Grand Canyon, said via the NCAA.

“This tournament will create an additional NCAA-funded postseason opportunity for women's basketball, and it comes at a time when we are seeing tremendous growth in popularity for women's basketball."

According to the NCAA, on Aug. 30, 2023, Nebraska and Omaha broke the all-time record for Div. I women's college volleyball attendance when 92,003 people were in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.

“In fact, the regular season match officially broke the world record for attendance at any women’s sporting event, surpassing the 91,648 in attendance at a 2022 UEFA Women's Champions League match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg at Camp Nou.”

"With so much discussion about women’s sports, we were intrigued to see the outcome from the survey that the majority of consumers believe brands should sponsor men’s and women’s sports equally,” Katie Gross, chief customer officer for Suzy, said via the market research software platform.

“Many of our clients are in media and entertainment and with all the changes taking place across streaming, sports property rights and several other business challenges it’s critical that brands keep up with consumer behavior.  We hope that consumer data like this will encourage major enterprise corporations to continue investing in women's sports.”
 
Methodology: Aggregate Sports surveyed 1,000 individuals, aged 18-65, between Sept. 27-30, 2023, using the Suzy on-demand consumer research platform. Weighting was applied to the total sample by age, gender, and region in accordance with the current U.S. adult population.

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NCAA Continues To Build Women’s Hoops With New Tournament, More Money

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