South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has been involved in women’s basketball long enough to see the growing pains of a young WNBA league slowly transition to a growing interest in the sport at all levels. rice field.
Staley, who led Gamecocks to their second Women’s Hoops title this year, said, “We’re probably asking people who are the decision makers of the game to be at the seams to allow us to be exactly that. It’s ruptured.
While the popularity of women’s sports across the board has steadily increased over the past few years, 2022 will be a pivotal moment as several sports saw increased viewership and ratings, sponsorship deals and prime time coverage.
This past WNBA regular season was the most watched season since 2006. And the storyline was rich as the league contested the detention of the Phoenix Mercury Center and her two-time Olympic gold medalist Britney Griner. and retire Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird, one of the most popular players in the league.
According to ESPN, which aired 25 regular-season games and the entire postseason, the 2022 playoffs averaged 456,000 viewers, a 22% increase over the 2021 postseason and the most-watched WNBA Postseason since 2007. It’s the season. It’s the most since 2004, when Diana Taurasi was the top pick.
WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbart said her league and women’s college games support each other.
Engelbart said the NCAA Women’s Tournament, which saw the most championship games in nearly two decades, gave the women’s game momentum heading into the WNBA season. Now she wants to see how far that growth goes.
“I am never satisfied,” said Engelbart. “My team is like, ‘Ask for more.’ When we’re in hypergrowth mode, we have to. We don’t rest. When we have momentum, we have to capitalize on it.” … you have to keep pushing too.
“We are underinvested and undervalued.”
The league has a contract with ESPN/ABC through 2025, and the company paid the WNBA $27 million in 2021 and $28.5 million this season. That number increases by $1.5 million for her each season until 2025 when she hits $33 million.
At the college level, Division I footballers continue to earn exponentially more than athletes in all other sports. But the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) trade has been a game-changer for female college athletes, especially in non-revenue-generating sports. Earn brand sponsorships such as
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne has over eight million followers across all of her social media platforms, more than any other female college athlete. Includes contracts with Vuori and American Eagle.
According to Opendorse, NIL’s technology and marketing company, women’s sports accounted for six of the top 10 sports by NIL rewards from the July 2021 launch of NIL through November.
Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said: “The industry feeds itself… The more marketable female athletes are, the more viewers are interested, the more viewers are interested, and the more marketable the athletes are.”
Women’s football is also gaining momentum in 2022.
The sport has seen an increase in global revenue from sponsorships and broadcasting deals, According to a FIFA study, the governing body of sports. In an October report, the organization found that the club reported a 33% increase in commercial income over the previous year. This indicates growing interest from sponsors. 77% of the league have a title sponsor in 2021, up from 66% the year before.
That structural growth is coupled with an unprecedented overall interest in gaming.
A US-England friendly at Wembley in August sold out in one day, drawing nearly 78,000 fans. That was after he 87,192 saw England beat Germany 2-1 in the European Championship final. It was the largest attendance of a European Championship match, men’s or women’s.
“The number and variety of different platforms focused on women’s sports, not just women’s soccer, just overall shows the interest,” said Kate, general manager of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Markgraf said.
In the United States, the National Women’s Soccer League is growing in popularity on the back of league-wide abuse scandals.
In August, an independent study commissioned by the United States Football Association We have found that emotional abuse and sexual misconduct in the professional league is systemic and affects multiple teams, coaches and players.
Still, the NWSL title game on October 29 averaged 915,000 viewers during prime time on CBS. This is a league record.
Markgraf expects this year’s trend to continue for the foreseeable future, as the sport gains momentum ahead of next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with women’s soccer success and We hope that popularity affects fans personally.
“When you go to a game and watch it, it changes your mood,” she said. “And the more often they occur, the longer the resonance.
