Women’s Sports Are Booming. Here’s What Brands Need to Know.
If it feels like women’s sports are having a moment, it’s because they are—just not in the way most people think.
Take the WNBA. The league just had its most-watched regular season ever across ESPN platforms, with games averaging 1.19 million viewers, a 170% increase from last season. Across all networks, games averaged 1.32 million viewers, nearly tripling the 2023 average of 462,000 viewers.
A high-profile matchup between the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky drew 3.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA game in over 23 years.
Ticket sales also hit record highs, with league attendance up 48% from 2023 and total attendance reaching 2.35 million—the highest in WNBA history.
Players like Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson weren’t just leading teams; they were leading conversations, driving jersey sales, and showing up in national brand campaigns.
But this isn’t a flash-in-the-pan trend. The growth in women’s sports has been building for years, and it’s starting to look less like a moment and more like a movement.
It's not just basketball. Soccer, tennis, gymnastics, golf—viewership is up, investment is up, and women's sports revenue is experiencing unprecedented growth globally. For the first time, global women's sports revenue is projected to surpass $2 billion in 2024, with North America, including the U.S., expected to contribute significantly, reaching over $1 billion in 2025. This represents a substantial increase from just a few years ago, with global revenue nearly doubling between 2023 and 2024.
So the question for brands isn’t if they should be paying attention. It’s how.
To answer that, Paramount Advertising released a new study, “For The Win: 7 Myths (And Truths) Brands Need to Know About Women’s Sports Fandom.” It’s one of the most comprehensive looks I’ve seen into who’s watching women’s sports, why they’re watching, and what it means for marketers.
Some of the key findings are surprising—even counterintuitive. For instance, one of the biggest myths is that women’s sports are only for women. In reality, men make up a larger share of the fan base and are more likely to describe themselves as “big fans” than women. They’re also more likely to say their interest in women’s sports has grown in the past year.
That’s a big red flag for brands still targeting these audiences like it’s 2010. Women’s sports aren’t a niche—they’re mainstream, and the audience is broad. If you’re limiting your creative to “empowered women empowering women,” you’re missing a huge swath of engaged fans.
Another eye-opener: nearly everyone in the study identified as some kind of fan. 95% of respondents called themselves big, casual, or prospective fans. That’s wild when you think about it. In most sports, people hesitate to call themselves fans unless they follow every stat and know every player. But women’s sports fandom is more inclusive—and more welcoming.
That’s part of the appeal. Fans describe the culture around women’s sports as supportive, passionate, empowering, and positive. It’s not just the games that are winning people over—it’s the vibe. That’s especially resonant with parents, who see female athletes as role models and want to share that experience with their kids.
And while the athletes themselves are clearly talented (you don’t get Simone Biles or Naomi Osaka without serious skill), what fans really want is to know them as people. Personal stories—about mental health, family, background—are what deepen emotional connection. In a fragmented media landscape, that kind of connection is gold.
There are also challenges. The number one barrier to becoming a bigger fan? Not knowing where or when to watch. That’s a visibility issue—and one that brands, media companies, and leagues all share responsibility for solving. If you want the audience to grow, you have to make the product easy to find.
One thing that came through loud and clear in the report: fans aren’t passive. They want to feel like they’re part of something bigger. They know that tuning in, buying tickets, and engaging with content helps move the needle—on pay equity, on media coverage, on everything. And they want brands to be part of that too, but in a way that feels authentic and committed, not like a PR stunt.
Bottom line: Women’s sports are no longer an underdog story. They’re a growth story—and one of the few in media today with a real sense of momentum. Brands that treat it as a cause instead of a business opportunity will miss the bigger picture.
Because here’s the truth: this isn’t just about women’s sports. It’s about where sports—and culture—are going. And if you’re not there yet, you’re already behind.
