The Rise of Women’s Sports Advertising

Women’s sports are having a breakout moment in the advertising world. After decades on the sidelines, female leagues and athletes are now front-and-center for brands. Advertisers are rapidly increasing their spending on women’s sports broadcasts and teams, drawn by surging viewership and a culturally powerful narrative of inclusion. In recent years, the amount of money pouring into women’s sports – from TV commercials to sponsorships – has grown at an unprecedented rate. This rise isn’t just a feel-good story; it’s backed by hard numbers and big-name brands that see women’s sports as a prime marketing opportunity.

Key Statistics: Explosive Growth in Ad Spend and Sponsorships

The past few years have seen explosive growth in advertising and sponsorship investment in women’s sports. Consider these key statistics:

• TV Advertising Soars: In 2024, advertisers spent over $244 million on TV campaigns during women’s sports events – a 139% increase from the previous year. This means ad spend more than doubled in one year, reflecting a major surge in interest. For context, women’s sports had long received only a sliver of ad dollars (in 2020, under $1 billion of the $57 billion global sports sponsorship was for women’s sports). The new spike is a dramatic shift from that historical underinvestment.
• Higher Engagement: These ads aren’t just more numerous – they’re also effective. On average, an ad aired during a women’s sporting event generated 40% more engagement (such as searches or site visits) than the typical prime-time TV ad. In other words, viewers watching women’s games respond to ads at significantly higher rates, an enticing figure for marketers.
• Sponsorship Deals Climbing: Money from sponsors is up as well. Sponsorship deals across major women’s sports leagues in North America grew by 12% year-over-year during the 2024 season. That growth rate is about 50% faster than what men’s pro leagues saw in the same period. Leading the pack were leagues like the WNBA (women’s pro basketball) and NWSL (women’s pro soccer), which each saw roughly a 19% increase in the number of sponsorship agreements compared to the previous year. This double-digit rise in brand partnerships shows that companies are eagerly attaching their names to women’s sports as they rise in popularity.

These statistics paint a clear picture: women’s sports are now a growth market for advertisers and sponsors. Rising viewership and fan enthusiasm (from record NCAA women’s basketball tournament ratings to sold-out soccer stadiums) have created a valuable platform that brands can no longer ignore. The dollars are following the eyeballs, and they’re doing so at a rapid clip.

Women’s sports events are drawing larger crowds and more media attention than ever, prompting brands to significantly increase their advertising investments. For example, the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball championship game drew a record 9.9 million TV viewers on ABC – shattering previous marks and proving that women’s sports can command prime-time audiences. Such milestones in visibility translate directly into more advertising interest and higher sponsorship values.

Major Brands Leading the Investment

It’s not just niche companies or local brands getting involved – some of the world’s biggest advertisers are now leading the charge in women’s sports. A range of industries, from insurance to apparel to banking, have upped their investment. Here are a few notable players:

• State Farm (Insurance): The good-neighbor insurer has been a long-time WNBA sponsor and in 2024 became the single biggest spender on women’s sports TV ads – about $5.5 million on ads, more than any other brand. State Farm’s campaigns around women’s basketball helped it reach engaged audiences and cement its status as an early supporter.
• AT&T (Telecom): AT&T matched State Farm’s commitment with roughly $5.5 million in women’s sports ad spend in 2024. The telecommunications giant has sponsored women’s college basketball and the WNBA, using those platforms to reach fans through commercials and activations.
• Nike (Sports Apparel): Nike has heavily invested in women athletes and teams – from sponsorship deals with stars to funding leagues – and it was among the top advertisers as well, putting about $4.4 million into women’s sports TV ads last year. Nike’s marketing around events like the Women’s World Cup and WNBA aligns with its message of empowerment and expands its appeal among female consumers.
• Barclays (Banking): In Europe, Barclays made headlines by doubling its investment in women’s soccer. The British bank signed a new sponsorship deal worth over £30 million (about $40 million) to remain title sponsor of the Women’s Super League, the top English women’s soccer league. This multi-year commitment, the biggest commercial deal in British women’s sports to date, shows Barclays’ belief that women’s football is a valuable and growing property.
• Allstate and Gatorade: Other major brands include Allstate (insurance) which spent around $4.5 million on women’s sports ads, and Gatorade (sports drinks), which has sponsored female athletes and leagues for years. Both see women’s sports as key to reaching young, active demographics.

What do these names have in common? They’re blue-chip brands that typically invest in marquee sporting events. Their significant spending on women’s sports is a strong endorsement of the sector’s value. When companies like Nike and Barclays put serious money in, it signals that women’s competitions are not a charity case or a mere social cause – they’re a savvy business move. These brands are not only boosting visibility for women’s sports through their campaigns, but also benefiting from the passionate fan loyalty that women’s teams inspire.

The Shift: New Money or Cannibalised from Men’s Sports?

A natural question arises: Is the money flowing into women’s sports new investment, or are brands simply shifting funds from men’s sports budgets? In other words, is this growth expanding the overall sports marketing pie, or just slicing it differently?

The evidence so far suggests a bit of both, but with encouraging signs that much of it is new or incremental:

• Established Advertisers Spreading Budgets: Many big advertisers that historically focused on men’s sports are now dedicating part of their budget to women’s events. For example, State Farm has advertised in the WNBA for nine years; their head of marketing noted that while their spending in women’s sports has gone up, it’s partly because the cost of ads has increased as demand grows, not necessarily because they slashed the men’s sports budget to fund it. In other words, the price tag to be in women’s games is higher now due to rising popularity – a sign of organic growth. These brands haven’t abandoned men’s sports (which still get the majority of dollars), but they are allocating more resources toward women’s properties than before.
• More Brands In the Mix: A key shift is that the pool of advertisers is getting larger. Media agencies report that they’ve brought many new clients into women’s sports for the first time. Companies that previously never sponsored any sports are now choosing women’s teams or events as their entry point. For instance, the WNBA in recent seasons attracted sponsors like Bumble (a dating app), Mielle (a haircare brand), and Skims (apparel) – brands that “previously avoided sports marketing” altogether. This represents truly new money, not taken from an existing men’s sports budget, since these advertisers weren’t spending on the NBA or NFL to begin with. They saw women’s leagues as a fresh, relevant avenue and added sports to their marketing mix because of it.
• Incremental Budgets: Industry experts indicate that many marketers are treating women’s sports as an incremental opportunity. Some advertising agencies are explicitly encouraging clients to allocate new budget for women’s sports instead of just shuffling the same dollars around. Nick Valenta, CEO of a sports-focused agency, said they “heavily push the need to allocate new budget” toward female sports initiatives, underscoring that this shouldn’t just cannibalise existing spend. Early data backs this up – a recent survey found brands plan to reallocate only about 7% of their sports media budget from men’s to women’s sports next year, meaning the bulk of increased women’s sports spend is coming from growth in budgets, not merely cuts elsewhere.

In summary, the surge in women’s sports marketing appears to be a real expansion. Longtime sponsors are maintaining their commitments to men’s leagues while also spending more on women’s side (often because women’s viewership is finally worth the price). And importantly, entirely new sponsors and categories are joining in, which grows the total pot. This bodes well for the sports industry – rather than a zero-sum game, the rise of women’s sports seems to be creating additional investment on top of existing sports marketing spends. It’s a rising tide lifting all boats, with women’s leagues benefiting from both new dollars and a reallocation of some resources that were once exclusively for men’s contests.

Impact of Media Rights and Sponsorship Deals: Visibility Drives Dollars

Why is all this happening now? A big factor is visibility. Women’s sports are getting far more screen time and media coverage than they used to, and that improved exposure is directly driving more advertising and sponsorship dollars.

In the past, one of the barriers to investing in women’s sports was that games simply weren’t on TV or mainstream media. That’s changing fast. Media rights deals for women’s events have multiplied, putting more games in front of fans and creating more commercial inventory (ad slots, sponsorship opportunities) for brands. For example:

• Television & Streaming Booms: TV viewership for women’s sports in 2024 jumped 131% compared to the year prior. This surge is due to more games being broadcast on major networks and streaming platforms. Leagues that once had minimal coverage now enjoy prime slots: the NCAA women’s basketball championship aired on ABC in 2023 to nearly 10 million viewers, and WNBA games are regularly on ESPN and CBS. With more eyeballs tuning in, advertisers eagerly follow. During the 2024 WNBA playoffs – which aired nationally and drew strong ratings – ads were 24% more effective (in terms of consumer response) than average prime-time spots. This kind of performance gives networks and advertisers confidence that showcasing women’s sports is good business.
• Record-Breaking Events: Globally, women’s sports events are shattering old audience records, proving their commercial appeal. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, for instance, was projected to reach over 2 billion viewers worldwide – roughly double the audience of the 2019 Women’s World Cup. It also featured a greatly increased prize pool of $110 million (up from just $30 million in 2019), reflecting growing investment. Major sponsors like Visa, Coca-Cola, and Adidas signed on, many with campaigns dedicated solely to the women’s tournament. With such events drawing global attention, sponsors get immense value and are willing to pay more for association. The same goes at continental level: the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 soccer final filled London’s Wembley Stadium with 87,000 fans (a record for any Euro final, men or women) and was the most-watched women’s soccer match ever in the UK. Those kinds of milestones lead directly to new sponsorships and bigger broadcast deals for the next cycle.
• Landmark Sponsorship Deals: The increase in media exposure has been accompanied by landmark sponsorship agreements that further boost visibility. A prime example is Barclays’ renewal of its Women’s Super League sponsorship in England: by doubling its financial commitment to the league, Barclays not only injects funds but also garners significant media attention for women’s football. Such high-profile partnerships often come with marketing campaigns, grassroots programs, and TV promotions that amplify the sport’s presence. Similarly in the U.S., Ally Financial’s recent 50/50 pledge (to equally spend marketing dollars on women’s and men’s sports coverage) pushed ESPN to expand its women’s sports programming. More games on air and online means more ad slots to sell – a virtuous cycle of visibility begetting revenue.

The formula is clear: better visibility = more ad dollars. When fans can actually watch women’s games easily, interest grows, ratings go up, and brands see an attractive platform for advertising. Broadcasters, in turn, are willing to pay more for media rights because they know they can attract sponsors. We’re seeing this play out across sports. For example, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has seen its viewership climb and set ESPN ratings records for the Finals; as a result, the league is likely to command a much richer TV contract in its next negotiation. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) just signed new media deals that put all their games on CBS platforms and streaming, vastly increasing accessibility. Each step forward in coverage has a direct effect: sponsors sign on as they notice the growing audience. In short, media rights and sponsorships feed into each other – more coverage drives more sponsorship, which leads to higher investment and even more coverage, pulling women’s sports into a mainstream spotlight that was absent for many years.

Conclusion: Why This Trend Matters for the Future of Sports Marketing

The rise of women’s sports advertising is far more than a passing fad or a token nod to equality – it represents a fundamental shift in the sports marketing landscape. As brands pour money into women’s leagues at unprecedented rates, they are effectively rewriting the playbook of sports sponsorship and advertising. Here’s why this trend matters looking forward:

• Unlocking New Audiences: Women’s sports often attract a somewhat different or more diverse audience profile, including more female viewers and families, on top of the traditional sports fan base. For advertisers, this opens the door to reach consumers they might miss with men’s sports alone. It’s a way to broaden market reach. A brand like Gatorade, for instance, can engage young female athletes through WNBA and women’s soccer sponsorships in ways that complement its NBA outreach. As women’s sports become more popular, no advertiser wants to leave that growing segment untapped.
• More Inventory, More Opportunities: The growth of women’s sports means the overall volume of sports content is increasing. That creates more “inventory” – more games, tournaments and teams that need sponsorship and have commercial breaks to fill. For the sports industry, this is like discovering a new resource. Networks can sell additional ad slots during women’s matches; teams can sell more jersey sponsorships and venue signage. It allows the industry to expand revenue beyond the saturated men’s market. For example, a company that’s maxed out its spending on NFL or NBA might find plenty of fresh opportunities in women’s soccer or softball. This expansion can bring new money into sports marketing rather than recycling the old.
• Cultural Relevance and Goodwill: Aligning with women’s sports carries a powerful message that many modern brands want to embrace. It signals support for inclusion, equality, and empowerment – values that resonate strongly, especially with younger consumers. A general audience is increasingly socially conscious, and people notice which companies champion women athletes. Brands investing in women’s sports often earn goodwill and positive brand sentiment as a side benefit to the direct marketing ROI. This can translate into stronger customer loyalty. Sports marketing experts note that women’s sports fans are extremely passionate and grateful to sponsors who support their leagues, perhaps even more so than fans of established men’s leagues where sponsor presence is taken for granted.
• Future Growth Trajectory: Perhaps the biggest reason this trend matters is that we are likely just at the beginning. The current surge in interest and investment has a compounding effect – it funds better broadcasts, better facilities, and better pay for athletes, which in turn improves the quality of the product and attracts more fans. This suggests that women’s sports have a huge growth runway ahead. Early-adopting brands stand to benefit the most as that growth unfolds. In a few years, advertising slots in women’s World Cup finals or WNBA playoffs might become highly coveted and more expensive as demand rises. Those who establish partnerships now will have an advantage.

In summary, the momentum in women’s sports advertising is reshaping the future of sports marketing. It’s making the sports industry more inclusive and doubling the opportunities for brands to engage with sports fans. What used to be a niche or add-on is fast becoming a central pillar of marketing campaigns. For fans, this means more coverage and financial stability for the sports they love. For marketers, it’s a chance to be part of a growth story and connect with audiences in new ways. And for the sports world at large, it heralds a more balanced playing field – not just in representation, but in the business of sports entertainment. The rise of women’s sports advertising shows that investing in equality can be profitable, and that’s a win-win that could define the next era of sports marketing.

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