TikTok bill has implications for athletes and partnerships in the women’s sports space

The GIST: On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a controversial bill that mandates TikTok parent ByteDance either sell its ownership stake in the social media platform or face a ban in the U.S. If TikTok is banned, the move could devastate the economy built around the platform and have unique implications for women’s sports.

The details: ByteDance has up to 12 months to find an American buyer or TikTok will be banned, forcing Google and Apple to remove it from their stores. In the meantime, it’s business as usual for the app’s 170M U.S.–based users, as legal challenges and barriers to selling are expected to cause months of delay — long enough for Biden to use the platform to campaign for re-election.

• However, ByteDance intends to challenge the bill, and stated yesterday that it would rather shutter TikTok than sell it. Drama.

The context: Since its 2017 launch, TikTok’s global popularity has skyrocketed while sparking security concerns around users’ private data, especially about if the Chinese government has access to it. The app has also had a considerable impact on younger generations — it’s where many young Americans get their news and offers a path to Gen Z’s fave career: social media influencer.

The sports side: Tiktok has been integral in the social media strategies of sports entities, but it’s also helped young women athletes dominate the NIL space with strong social media presences. The app allows them to organically grow audiences (like Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson did) and produce branded content, appealing to the 90% of Gen Z fans who follow sports on social media.

The partnerships: The app has emerged as a preeminent sponsor in European women’s sports. It’s the Women’s Six Nations rugby tournament’s title sponsor, a sleeve sponsor of Juventus Women, and was the official entertainment platform of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. On the U.S. side, TikTok entered the women’s soccer game early by signing a Portland Thorns partnership in 2021.

Lingering questions: The ban may not even go through, but if it does, would a past suitor have the chance to swoop in? And would new ownership undo the progress the platform has facilitated for women’s sports? Make it make sense.