Saturday Scroll: Amplifying women’s sports at the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is a sporting event that’s about so much more than sports — it draws viewership from casual and non-fans unlike any other sporting event. Millions of casual viewers tune in solely for the commercials, the Super Bowl parties, or the halftime show, all which have become cultural touchstones woven into the fabric of American society.

Because of its status as a cultural institution, Super Bowl Week has grown into an unparalleled media and advertising frenzy, and thus, Media Row was born. Media brands flocked to the host stadium and set up shop, interviewing athletes and celebrities that came to town.

• Advertisers looking to reach fans — primarily avid, male ones — showed up too, touting athlete ambassadors and building activations.

But as the league and associated companies set their sights on including women and more casual fans, The GIST and Parity (which, incidentally, are partnered themselves) have found a foothold in this unique tentpole moment.

With Parity’s connection to women athletes and The GIST’s equity in coverage and diverse audience, they’re uniquely attuned to women-focused activations at Super Bowl Week, and they know brands realizing the value of women sports fans are seeing the Super Bowl for the wide-ranging marketing event that it is. Now that’s forward progress.

According to deHoop, the media center in San Francisco gives the impression that it’s “for dudes,” or at least centers “very avid fans.” This isn’t surprising, given the NFL’s traditional target demographic.

• Still, a lot has changed in a short amount of time. As The GIST’s head of partnerships and revenue, deHoop has seen firsthand how the league and associated brands are increasingly interested in engaging women fans.

In a year shaped by the company’s landmark NFL partnership, deHoop said The GIST “saw a huge, huge increase in brands specifically working with us around both women's and men's sports. It shows that female fans are real.”

• “I think the league and these brands see the value in women as consumers, and know that they need to appeal to them in the right ways — in an authentic way — and sports are the way to do so,” she continued.

The brands deHoop sees most prominently catering to women fans in the media center and around Super Bowl Week? They’re the same ones that have partnered with The GIST around the NFL season, like Verizon, Toyota, Adobe, and Invisalign.

• deHoop specifically identified Toyota as “very genuine women's sports female fan supporters,” noting the car manufacturer is activating during Super Bowl Week by sponsoring flag football for women and girls.

Invisalign is also embracing the flag opportunity, while Adobe is “creator-oriented” and thus “more female-skewing,” deHoop said. “They're doing a good job of working with us and other creators to appeal to more fans outside of the traditional, avid fan.”

• “That's going to be a natural fit for us and our audience. Where there's a genuine commitment from the brands, it's a very natural fit for us to work with them. The content feels very endemic and aligned with our values and mission.” Right through the uprights.

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And it’s not just women fans receiving renewed attention from the NFL and brands at Super Bowl Week — women’s sports and women athletes are also carving out a space.

At the Super Bowl, Parity is promoting two major partnerships featuring women athletes: an expanded partnership with regenerative tech company DNA Vibe and client M&T Bank’s collaboration with Women’s Football Alliance wide receiver Lois Cook. Why? Because even men’s sporting events field a surging interest in women’s sports, according to Srinivasan.

“Over the course of the past year, every tentpole event I’ve attended, from Super Bowl LIX Week in New Orleans through 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend…has morphed into a major discussion of the business of women’s sports. Wherever sports and brand marketers are convening, commercial opportunities in women’s sports have become a must-cover topic.”

• Srinivasan added that “the Super Bowl, in particular, attracts many of the largest sponsors and advertisers in the world. With very few exceptions, most have invested heavily in men’s sports but are still formulating their women’s sports strategy. Those are conversations that we love to join.”

This year, women’s flag football is claiming the spotlight as the NFL promotes its flag initiative. Traditional sports sponsors interested in entering women’s sports are there too, recruiting women footballers for campaigns.

• Ulta named football legend Vanita Krouch to its inaugural athlete roster this week, rising star Ashlea Klam is partnering with the NFL and Under Armour (UA), and fellow UA athlete Diana Flores has arguably become the face of the game.

Brands are seeking influential women athlete ambassadors, which is why Parity is there to meet the moment. “Being in New Orleans in the run-up to Super Bowl LIX last year was time well spent,” Srinivasan said. “We were able to deepen a relationship with one key client just by being there, which helped us significantly expand the partnership later in the year.”

• “The business of sports is still, at its core, a people business; there is no substitute for being in the room where it happens. The women’s sports community is also close-knit, so we’re guaranteed to see friendly faces in the crowd even at men’s sporting events.”

For those fortunate enough to be in San Francisco, be sure to make the most of it. Start by considering women athletes and fans in the year ahead — if you want to win the long game, that is.