New data reveals that women’s sports’ sponsorship deals increased by 22% YoY

The GIST: SponsorUnited data recently revealed that the number of sponsorship deals in pro women’s sports increased by over 22% YoY thanks to more than 5.5K deals last year. These numbers further prove the marketability of women athletes, who also see consistently higher rates of engagement. Keep scrolling for more key insights from the report.

⛳ The LPGA led all women’s sports properties with 1.1K sponsorship deals. The pro women’s golf league saw its sponsorship total increase by 25% YoY in 2023, then bagged major deals last month with TUMI, Rhone, and Ally.

🎾 The WTA saw the greatest YoY boost among all women’s sports properties. The tennis tour, which topped 1K total deals, saw 26% growth in 2023, just edging out the LPGA’s 25.5% boost. WTA athletes are super marketable, too — Coco Gauff was the highest-paid woman athlete in 2023, while nine of the list’s top 15 also played tennis. Ace.

💨 Gatorade is the most active brand in the game with 51 sponsorships in pro women’s sports leagues. This is up from last year’s data, where Gatorade was still one of the space’s most active companies. In addition to deals with the WNBA, NWSL, and LPGA, the sports drink brand is working with newer leagues like AU and the PWHL.

🎿 U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin and recently retired Angel City FC goalkeeper Brittany Isenhour each nabbed the most endorsements (33). This tracks: Shiffrin was one of the top 15 highest-paid women athletes last year with $6.1M earnings, $5M of which came from endorsements — and in a non-Olympic year to boot.

Looking forward: The data showed the success of well-established leagues, but newer ones like the PWHL, AU, and this year’s two new pro volleyball leagues should make waves on next year’s list. Thanks to increased media exposure — think the PWHL’s national deals and AU’s expanded ESPN deal — these young leagues are poised to be major players soon enough. Watch this space.