There is a seismic shift happening in women’s sports with fans showing up in historic numbers. Despite the record-breaking attendance, viral highlights, and growing fan loyalty, research shows that women’s sports still only receive about 15% of all sports media coverage—a significant jump from the 4% of previous years. While engagement is skyrocketing and coverage is growing, the economics of brand sponsorship are slow to catch up to the massive opportunity. Let’s take a look at why this gap persists, what’s being left on the table, and how brands, athletes, and platforms can rethink their game plan.
The Opportunity Distortion
For decades, women’s sports have existed in a parallel universe. They’re just as competitive and demanding as men’s sports, but are still treated as side stories. The talent is there for a hungry fanbase. Yet investment and coverage still lag far behind. For years, women’s sports accounted for less than 2% of all sports media and sponsorship spending. While the Sports Innovation Lab reports that share has climbed to 9%, former Olympian and Google executive Kate Johnson notes the persistence of what she calls, “the vicious cycle of underinvestment”.
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Fewer sponsorship dollars mean lower salaries, which lead to shorter careers, fewer role models, and smaller pipelines. With fewer players to spotlight, broadcasters invest less, media coverage shrinks, and the cycle begins again. This self-fulfilling loop keeps women’s sports on the margins while claiming there’s not enough audience to justify more.
But here’s the thing—the audience is there. The problem isn’t interest; it’s access. Fans aren’t ignoring women’s sports, they just can’t find them. The cycle of underinvestment doesn’t just impact athletes and leagues; it shapes what audiences see, share, and celebrate. The media and our social feeds largely determine who is recognized and who is overlooked. The broadcast networks, streaming services, and algorithms that shape our digital libraries still overwhelmingly serve up men’s sports content, roughly nineteen to one. That imbalance doesn’t just distort perception; it distorts opportunity. Fans can’t find women’s sports, sponsors can’t fund them, and girls can’t imagine themselves in them. The compounding inequity equals missed opportunity all around.
The Modern Women’s Sports Fan
The cycle of underinvestment doesn’t just shortchange athletes—it overlooks the power and evolution of their audiences. Because while coverage has lagged, the fanbase for women’s sports hasn’t just grown; it’s diversified.
Study after study challenges the outdated view that women’s sports don’t have enough fans to justify major investments. According to new research from Wasserman’s The Collective, nearly 75% of women now identify as sports fans, a 10% increase in just three years. These women bring enormous buying power, and they are choosing to spend it in ways that reflect their values. A McKinsey & Company report found that half of self-described “avid” women’s sports fans are loyal not just to leagues or franchises, but the athletes themselves. These fans are 27% more likely to purchase from a brand that sponsors a well-known athlete.
Brands are catching on but most only show interest in sponsoring women who win titles or have huge follower counts. The mid-to-back-of-the-pack female athletes, whose influence is often rooted in relatability, are often overlooked. These women may not have millions of followers, but they are more broadly representative of the average female fan. This authenticity and relatability is fuel for a growing movement of adventurous self-investment among active women fans. These fans choose to spend their time, energy, and resources in ways that make them feel strong, capable, and connected.
The modern female fan doesn’t want perfection; she wants participation. She wants to see herself represented—in the bodies, ages, and stories of the athletes she follows.
Shifting Expectations
Most brands, leagues, and governing bodies continue to operate within outdated sponsorship frameworks that disregard these shifting expectations. Brands chase volume and virality that may boost short-term visibility, but rarely result in long-term impact. Growing airtime and coverage of women’s sports is certainly valuable. However, brands most often target the high-profile, but fleeting, exposure of logo placements and one-off endorsements.
Smart Brands Invest Early
Change is happening. Early adopters are already capturing the mindshare and buying power of women’s sports fans. Smaller brands, in particular, are stepping into the space left open by larger companies. A report by Gather revealed that just 6% of Fortune 500 companies currently sponsor women’s sports. This leaves an enormous opportunity for brands willing to invest where impact is strongest.
Parity’s October 2024 article reinforces this: “For smaller brands looking to stretch their budgets and differentiate themselves in a crowded market, women’s sports present an ideal opportunity to make an impact.” Sponsorship in women’s sports often comes at a lower cost while generating engagement nearly four times the industry average.
Bigger brands like Zwift are already seeing the rewards of early investment and community engagement. Zwift, the title sponsor of the Women’s Tour de France Femmes, reported that 23% of new subscriber growth in 2025 came from women in connection with this sponsorship. According to Zwift CEO, Eric Min, “The first four years of this partnership have been incredible. The excitement is tangible and the impact is clear. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve over the next four years and beyond.”
Building Female Fan Community
While sponsoring high-profile women’s sports events becomes more prominent, brands also have the opportunity to spotlight the stories beyond the stats that bring fans closer. Not driven by status or ego, women sports fans look for inspiration and aspiration as they balance family, community and self-care. When women athletes have platforms where they can share their full stories, women fans are able to relate and see possibilities for themselves.
Brands that respond to the interests, motivations, and engagement habits of women sports fans—and invest in athlete stories—are capturing buyer trust and loyalty.
Reframing the Narrative
The conversation is evolving from checking the "supporting women’s sports” box to realizing the greenfield opportunity of truly investing in them. The potential return on investment for brands is massive. McKinsey & Company and The Collective report that women’s sports could generate billions of dollars in additional value for those willing to invest now.
Women’s sports sponsors that commit to support on and off the field appeal to the 30% of women’s sports consumers who look for brands that invest in causes they care about. Opportunities exist for brands of all sizes to direct their sponsorship dollars toward programs and platforms where women athletes can share their stories and experiences.
Sports community and content-sharing platform Ontheside embraces this. Ontheside showcases women’s sports content for fans, and provides sponsorship opportunities of that content for brands. Platforms like Ontheside give women athletes the spaces to share their journeys, connect with fans, and fund their sports or causes. At the same time, these platforms help bridge the gap between visibility and equity.
The formula isn’t complicated. When brands invest in community building and amplifying the voices of women in sports, women fans notice. And when women feel seen and heard, they invest back—with engagement, advocacy, and buying power.
From local leagues to professional tours, and from broadcast rights to empowerment platforms, investment in women’s sports is smart economics.
