SeeHer in Sports

This year’s Olympics was a pivotal moment in history with female athletes seizing the spotlight like never before.

The Paris Games were the first to have gender parity, with equal numbers of women and men competing. However, parity doesn’t mean equality. Women still lag behind men in most areas of sports, including sponsorship deals, media exposure, pay and roles such as coaches, referees, commentators, and executive leadership.

When women’s athletics receive increased attention and investment during significant events only, like the Olympics, World Cup and WNBA, it can be dangerous and perpetuate stereotypes, limit the visibility of female role models, and reinforce the gender gap. Support of women’s sports needs to be an always-on commitment.

The women’s sports business is projected to cross the $ 1 billion mark in 2024 and with women being responsible for $31 trillion in global spending; this is an area that is too great for marketers to ignore for future growth opportunities.

SeeHer in Sports has advocated for women in athletics since 2019. In those five years, we’ve gleaned valuable qualitative and quantitative data while identifying best practices for ensuring accurate representation of women. Click here to read SeeHer President, Christine Guilfoyle’s, byline featured in AdAge to learn more about how brands can implement effective women’s sports strategies.

The results of the Paris Olympics demonstrate the continued growth opportunities around and excitement for women’s athletics….

• NBC’s live daytime broadcast of the women’s gymnastics team final averaged 12.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, making it one of the network’s top weekday daytime events in Olympics History. That’s more than any single game of the 2024 NBA Finals*.
• If American women were their own nation, they would have won the third-most medals in the Games**.
• The first day of the Olympic Rugby Sevens first match set a record for the highest attendance at a women’s rugby event***.
• For the first time in Olympic history, the women’s marathon concluded the Paris Games, taking place on the day of the Closing Ceremony – a slot traditionally reserved for the men’s marathon.
• Female athletes boast a 14 percent larger social media following than men***. In fact, Olympic medalist, Ilona Maher, is the first women’s rugby player to reach one million Instagram followers.

Don’t sit on the sidelines and miss a significant business opportunity. Contact Katie McKenna, SVP of Membership, at km******@an*.net to learn how you can expand your women’s sports practice and join us on October 22 at the ANA Masters of Marketing where the SeeHer in Sports agenda will be set for future impact and action.

Learn more about how brands evolved their sports alliances for the Olympics in this Campaign US piece featuring SeeHer’s input.

Sources: *USA Today, Carrie McDonald 8/1/24; **Angelink; ***World Athletics

Check Out SeeHer Member Olympic Ads, CLICK HERE.