ESPNW Summit Captures Powerful Moments in Women's Sports

The ESPNW Summit in New York City brought together current and future leaders in women's sports, highlighting a shared focus on this historic moment in shaping our landscape. Sarah Spain kicked off the summit by releasing key figures on viewership and attendance, highlighting the significant momentum and growth experienced by women's sport in the 2023-24 season. While enthusiasm grows, discussions emphasized the importance of sustaining this growth beyond the Caitlin Clark effect. Looking back, like the early days of the WNBA, women's sports have seen tremendous growth and impressive attendance. However, these highs will eventually taper off, reaching record lows in recent years, highlighting the need for continued innovation, promotion and investment to secure the future of women's sports leagues and teams. It is embossed.

“Keep stepping on the accelerator”

WNBA Golden State President Jess Smith emphasized the need for women's sports officials to “keep their foot on the gas” to maintain momentum. Throughout the summit, it became clear that leaders in women's sport are better prepared this time around and aim to capitalize on phenomena like the Caitlin Clarke effect. The discussion revolved around exciting new trends and goals for sustainable growth in the future, including increased overall investment in women's sport and the need for continued investment for sustainable growth. It was emphasized that there is. Importantly, women's sport is now recognized as an important industry and lucrative business opportunity. This recognition is an important step in solidifying the legitimacy and value of female athletes, teams and leagues, positioning them not only as strong personal brands but also as credible investment opportunities.

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)

An important aspect of this changing landscape is the recent changes to name, image, and likeness (NIL) policies across amateur athletics. Coaches who may have previously opposed the concept of student-athletes earning money while competing in college sports are now accepting this evolving reality. That includes national championship coaches, members of the Summit's opening committee, FSU's Brian Penske (women's soccer) and members of the Summit. UNC's Erin Matson (field hockey); This opening panel reflected the public recognition that these changes to her NIL will create greater opportunity and greater equity for female student-athletes. Unlike male student-athletes, female student-athletes often have fewer opportunities to play professionally, but with the NIL changes, they have increased their earning potential in any sport at a highly visible time in their playing careers. will increase.

media and social media

Female athletes continue to excel in the social media space, using that exposure to enhance their income potential and brand. On average, female athletes receive approximately eight times more engagement per post compared to male athletes. In addition to the high engagement seen in women's basketball throughout the 2023-24 season, college softball players have nearly 10 times more engagement on social media than men's baseball players, with an average engagement per post. Usually it is 5 times more.

Importantly, linear and streaming TV platforms are beginning to embrace these trends, providing fans and new consumers with even more opportunities to watch and participate in women's sporting events. Furthermore, we are bringing in new talent to cover and report on events aimed at women. At the espnW Summit, Ali Krieger expressed excitement to join ESPN to lead women's soccer coverage, while League One Volleyball will broadcast some games in its first professional season starting in January 2025 announced a partnership with ESPN to These collaborations and hiring decisions are promising prospects for growth and investment across the sport beyond women's basketball.

Everyone watches women's sports

Resonating widely throughout the Summit discussions was the recognition that women's sports have a wide audience and that there is no longer a need for female athletes, fans and stakeholders to continually prove this fact. Lindsey Kagawa Colas, the summit's keynote speaker and executive vice president of talent at Wasserman, said that female athletes and practitioners are building on the industry's success, contrasting it with the long-standing acceptance and investment in men's sports. He emphasized that efforts are currently being made to prove this.

Female athletes are tired of the constant need to justify and defend their worth, and accumulating data is slowly diminishing the need for this additional effort. Throughout the Summit, the consistent message regarding the surge in new fans and consumers was that there is a space for everyone. As Mr. Colas emphasized, the bandwagon is growing and continues to expand at an exciting clip, and it is important to welcome all new individuals, organizations and investors interested in becoming lifelong supporters. is. Make no mistake, the tide is changing for women's sports as a whole, and the espnW Summit highlighted this historic period of growth.