Media brand Rebel Girls establishes partnerships with LOVB, AUSL

The GIST: Yesterday, Rebel Girls (RG) — a digital media company created to inspire Gen Alpha girls — announced two major partnerships with emerging pro women’s sports leagues: League One Volleyball (LOVB) and Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL).

• The GIST chatted with RG CEO Jes Wolfe yesterday about why these leagues are the perfect place to meet the next generation of fans. A rebel with a cause.

Rebel Girls: In 2016, the brand sought to close the gender gap in children’s books by launching a Kickstarter campaign for its inaugural book spotlighting 100 inspirational women in history. Since then, RG has rapidly become a sprawling multiplatform brand that reaches 36M girls and their families globally with 11M books sold, 28M podcast downloads, and 37M views on YouTube.

• Speaking of YouTube, Gen Alpha girls spend an average of 84 minutes a day on the platform, with 69% of the generation getting their sports content there. This tracks with RG’s own metrics: Its sports-themed storytelling accounts for 45% of its top 20 most-watched YouTube videos.

The partnerships: Thanks to yesterday’s signings, RG is now LOVB Omaha’s official jersey partner and will feature its athletes in cross-channel content. On the AUSL side, RG became its official media rights partner, with more details coming soon. Can’t wait.

The alignment: It makes sense for these up and coming leagues to seek RG’s expertise on Gen Alpha, which encompasses anyone born between 2010 and 2024. Wolfe describes them as “the most diverse and the most educated generation in history” with almost 2B kids globally and a projected economic impact of $5T by 2029.

• And although Gen A is very online, they still love to play the game IRL — especially volleyball and softball. Though 95% of current LOVB players are Gen Z, the next generation is quickly lining up to serve at junior clubs. Little League Softball has around 300K participants aged 4 to 16 worldwide and has seen 8% growth in participation since 2018.

Zooming out: It’s a win that entities focused on empowering women can unite in a shared mission, but it’s also crucial for companies like RG looking to land sports opportunities at a lower price point. With the price of men’s sports sponsorship often out of reach, women’s sports have been a boon for niche, women-focused brands seeking distinct and mutually beneficial partnerships. On to the next.