Women’s Sports Fandom Provides Unique Brand Opportunity

My eight-year-old daughter recently completed her first youth basketball season, with her team making it to the championship. On game day (which happened to be International Woman’s Day), we arrived at the gym early to catch the tail end of the boys’ final. The bleachers were packed with friends and family cheering on their young athletes, and my first thought was “Of course the boys have the full stands #eyeroll.” So I was admittedly a bit surprised that the girls commanded nearly the same size crowd by the time their game tipped off — with a decibel level that rivaled that of the boys’. 

Are women’s sports finally starting to get more attention? 

Of course, rec league basketball isn’t exactly on the same level as the WNBA, but the signs are clear that fandom for female leagues is on the upswing. Just think about last year’s March Madness and the Cailin Clark frenzy that fueled a notable jump in TV ad impressions year-over-year. 

Brands are taking note of these growing audiences: According to SponsorUnited and as reported by MarketingBrew, sponsorship deals for major women’s leagues grew by 12% year-over-year during the 2024-25 seasons, outpacing the growth rate of men’s by nearly 50%. 

And just in time for Women’s History Month, MarketCast is out with a new analysis revealing that women's sports fans are more likely to back sponsors than fans of major men's leagues, including the NFL and NBA. This presents a unique opportunity for brands to connect with an enthusiastic, highly engaged audience as these leagues grow. 

According to MarketCast, in 2024, women’s sports leagues surpassed their male counterparts in sponsor affinity, with NWSL standing out in particular: Sponsor breakthrough for the league was up nearly 10% on average in 2024 vs. 2023, with brands like Nike, Delta, Ally and Nationwide all seeing year-over-year increases in awareness. First-time sponsors in 2024 notched high levels of consumer consideration as well, with Amazon leading at 88%. 

Additionally, last year’s standout performances in the WNBA and Women’s March Madness led to stronger sponsor support than their male counterparts in the NBA and Men’s March Madness. 

• Looking at fan likelihood to try products from an official league sponsor, NWSL ranked first at 75% (vs. 64% for MLS), while Women’s March Madness was at 56% (compared to 51% for the men’s tournament) and the WNBA was at 55% (vs. the NBA’s 43%).  
• For fan likelihood to consciously support an official league sponsor, again NWSL is tops at 74% (compared to 66% for MLS). Women’s March Madness came in at 60% (above the 55% for the men’s tournament), closely followed by the WNBA (vs. 45% for NBA).
• When it comes to fan likelihood of recommending an official league sponsor, NWSL was at 73%, compared to MLS in third (65%). The WNBA was at 57% (vs. NBA’s 43%) and Women’s March Madness was at 55% (vs. men’s at 52%). 

Brands aren’t the only ones benefitting from the female sports excitement — 2024 NCAA women’s basketball fans drove growth in streaming service subscriptions: 

• 57% of NCAA women’s basketball fans watch sports on a streaming service. 
• 40% of NCAA women’s basketball fans subscribed to a new streaming service specifically to watch sports, above the 28% of men’s NCAA fans. 
• 82% of NCAA women’s basketball fans who subscribed to a new streamer to watch their favorite sport are still subscribing, vs. 76% of men’s NCAA fans.