GAME ON: BRIDGING THE INVESTMENT GAP IN WOMEN’S SPORTS
AN ELITE COMMUNITY, UNDERVALUED
2024 was a monumental year for women’s sports. We set a number of viewership and attendance records (such as for the WNBA and NWSL), marveled at the first-ever Olympic Games with gender parity among athletes, hit “follow” across our social media accounts, and filled our closets with team merch.
Sustained interest, continued growth, and outsized impact in the long-term, however, depend on increased investment. The current environment brings with it an abundance of opportunity, especially as awareness and demand for women’s sports are expected to accelerate in 2025 and beyond. But hesitation among brands still exists when it comes to increasing investments.
This research explores common, perceived barriers to investment—such as unproven ROI or lack of awareness in terms of total reach—and ultimately finds that with a different perspective, such barriers are far from insurmountable. The success of women’s sports has long been compared to that of men’s, but from athletes, to fandoms, to media coverage—they aren’t the same.
By looking at women’s sports as the unique entity it is, significant opportunities are ready for the taking. With the right data, metrics, key players, and game plan, we can overcome investment barriers in women’s sports the way women have long approached any obstacle: we can go around, break through, and rise above.
As 2025 unfolds, momentum doesn’t seem to be slowing—but we shouldn’t serve as mere bystanders waiting to see what happens next. As fans, leaders, and decisionmakers, we have an opportunity to drive the progress we want to see in women’s sports; we have an opportunity to get in the game.
Increased investment in women’s sports is not just good for women, but good for business. When we work together, brands can unlock unprecedented value, increase access to information and resources, and drive meaningful change—for generations to come. When it comes to bridging the investment gap, we’re all on the same team.
