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The GIST: The Collective — the women’s sports research branch of talent agency giant Wasserman — published new insights yesterday on women sports fans globally. Its most recent findings indicate women are a growing demographic in sports fandoms, one that activates more keenly around brands — something The GIST knows very well. *winks*

The Collective: Wasserman established The Collective in 2019 to provide “services and tools to the industry and to [...] clients to help push for gender equity,” according to Wasserman EVP Thayer Lavielle. Notably, The Collective found women’s sports comprised 15% of total sports media coverage last year, up from 4% in 2019.

• For this most recent study, The Collective gathered data from more than 35K respondents aged 16 to 64 across six continents, providing a representative sample for approximately 2B global consumers. Let’s dive in.

🚀 The number of women who identify as sports fans has increased 10% over the past three years. Around 72% of these women see themselves as serious sports fans, while 25% believe following their fave sports is one of the most important things in their lives.

• And despite myths around Gen Z sports fans, Gen Z (79%) and millennial (74%) women also tend to have more avid fandom than women in older generations, with 60% of both Gen X and Boomers reporting avid fandom.

👀 Women fans pay attention. They are 16% more likely to notice brands engaging around sports, while 30% of respondents prefer socially responsible brands and 29% are more likely to buy from brands that support their causes. Very mindful.

😍 Women fans love women’s sports. Twenty-seven percent are more interested in women’s sports than they were three years ago, 58% are more likely to think positively about companies sponsoring women’s sports, and 34% want to see brands more involved in women’s sports.

Zooming out: While there’s been an increasing amount of data collected on fans of women’s sports, there is limited data focusing specifically on women fans. The Collective’s move to separate and understand this demographic produced invaluable marketing insights on how women are driving the game.

• This is important because by 2028, women are projected to control 75% of discretionary spending globally, are already the chief household decision makers, and represent a $700B market opportunity if financial institutions provide financial services to women at the same rate as men. The easiest bet you’ll ever make.

The GIST: The Golden State Valkyries announced a multiyear partnership with Kaiser Permanente (KP) yesterday, making the Oakland-based healthcare organization a founding partner of the expansion WNBA team and furthering the healthcare sponsorship trend in pro women’s sports. Health is wealth.

The details: As a core jersey partner, the KP logo will feature on the Valkyries’ uniforms, and a portion of jersey sales will be directed to local nonprofits. The company will also serve as the official team physicians for the new W squad. Notably, KP became the WNBA and NBA’s first-ever healthcare partner in 2015 and has a longstanding relationship with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

The WNBA trend: Several individual WNBA teams have healthcare jersey sponsors, including major players like Emory Healthcare and the Mayo Clinic, while Blue Cross Blue Shield parent Anthem signed a four-team sponsorship deal in 2021. In April, the league itself also inked a groundbreaking deal with daily birth control OPill.

• WNBA teams were the first to bring jersey deals to the hardwood in 2009, and these days, they’re raking it in: The largest W jersey patch contract to date is the Phoenix Mercury’s $3M annual deal.

The NWSL trend: Healthcare partners are also scoring in soccer. In March, insight platform Luscid found at least half of NWSL teams have front-of-shirt deals with healthcare providers, led by Bay FC’s Sutter Health deal worth around $2M. Notably, Valkyries president Jess Smith was previously Angel City FC’s head of revenue, likely seeing the healthcare trend firsthand. Love a good crossover.

The San Francisco trend: Comparatively, women’s teams represent a low-cost, high-return investment, and considering the sponsor media value in jersey exposure, it makes sense for companies to search for real estate here. Add in the Valkyries’ affluent market and Warriors ties, and the team is poised to benefit from sponsor investment even more (and earlier) than other W teams.

• The franchise has already signed finance giant JPMorgan Chase as a founding partner and received a record 17K season-ticket deposits thanks to buy-in from the fanbase of the NBA’s highest-valued team. Banked it.

The GIST: Hunting for a new job? The GIST’s job board is your one-stop shop for the best open gigs in sports. Submit those apps to GIST-approved opportunities and still have time to enjoy your day-to-day.

The details: If you’ve ever dreamed of working in sports, this is the resource for you. Our job board features roles in every discipline across the industry. There’s truly something for everyone.

The application: Inviting more women and non-binary folks into the industry is a surefire way to help level the playing field. Check out our job board today.

Co-founded by NBA star Kevin Durant and entrepreneur Rich Kleiman, Boardroom is a media network that covers the business of sports, music, and entertainment. From emerging leagues (pickleball, anyone?) to new tech, they’re committed to offering a unique perspective on how athletes, musicians, creators, and executives are moving the business world forward.

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