Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA) and Jasmine Moore (USA) celebrate after winning gold and bronze in the women’s long jump during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. © Andrew Nelles / USA TODAY NETWORK
The narrative around women's sports has traditionally focused on viewership numbers – and with good reason. Parity's recent research reveals that 73% of consumers now watch women's sports at least a few times a year, a figure that's rapidly approaching parity with men's sports viewership at 81%. But focusing solely on viewership misses the deeper story: the unique quality of engagement that women's sports sponsorships deliver.
This multi-platform presence allows brands to create cohesive campaigns that meet audiences where they are.
Recent Nielsen research supports what we're seeing in the engagement data. Their 2023 report showed that women's sports broadcasts have:
These metrics suggest that while absolute viewership numbers may still be growing, the quality of attention and engagement is exceptionally high.
Perhaps most compelling is what our research reveals about consumer trust. We found that 57% of consumers trust that women athletes believe in the products they promote, compared to 50% for male athletes. This "authenticity premium" creates fertile ground for brand storytelling and message retention.
The motivations driving women's sports viewership create unique opportunities for brand alignment:
This value-driven viewership creates natural alignment opportunities for brands committed to purpose-driven marketing.
Supporting these findings, Deloitte projects that professional women's sports will generate $1.28 billion in revenue in 2024, marking a 300% increase from three years ago. This growth is largely attributed to deepening fan engagement and the subsequent increase in brand investment.
For brands measuring ROI, we're seeing this enhanced engagement translate directly to business results:
When Morgan Stanley sought to make a meaningful impact in women's sports while advancing financial literacy, they partnered with Parity to create "Practice Makes Perfect" – a groundbreaking initiative that demonstrates the unique power of women's sports sponsorships to drive authentic engagement.
The campaign leveraged Parity's athlete network to share essential financial education resources, with a twist: rather than traditional financial advice, the content featured professional women athletes sharing their own financial journeys, challenges, and victories. This peer-to-peer approach created exceptional authenticity and relatability.
"For us at Morgan Stanley, our mission was and remains aligned with Parity's — to empower our athlete community," explains Sandra Richards, Managing Director, Head of Global Sports & Entertainment & Segments Sales and Engagement at Morgan Stanley. "Working with Parity on the 'Practice Makes Perfect' campaign was about jointly telling those stories about financial challenges and financial wins, and the things that athletes learn from their fellow athletes and even themselves."
The campaign's success highlighted several key advantages of women's sports sponsorships:
This initiative exemplifies how brands can leverage women's sports partnerships to create meaningful impact while building genuine connections with engaged audiences.
As the women's sports ecosystem continues to mature, we're seeing the emergence of what we call "engagement ecosystems" – interconnected networks of athletes, fans, brands, and media that create multiple touchpoints for authentic brand integration.
For brands considering their sponsorship strategy, the message is clear: women's sports offers an engagement premium that extends far beyond basic viewership metrics. The combination of authentic athlete partnerships, multi-platform reach, and highly engaged audiences creates a unique opportunity for brands to build deeper, more meaningful connections with consumers.
About Parity, a Group 1001 Company
Minority-founded in 2020, Parity is a sports marketing and sponsorship platform dedicated to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports. By developing high-impact collaborations between brands, professional women athletes, and their fans, Parity has proudly put millions of dollars in the pockets of women athletes, attracting dozens of brands to the movement in the process. The platform connects brands like Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, AdventHealth, and Superfeet to over 1000 women athletes from 75+ sports, including well over 250 Olympians and Paralympians. For more information on how to tap into the rapidly rising influence and popularity of women athletes, visit https://paritynow.co or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.