The Varsity Everyone Watches Women’s Sports
Apr 16, 2025
Sara Fischer, Axios's media reporter, dives into the excitement surrounding the rise of women’s sports, highlighting new leagues like LOVB volleyball and the Professional Women’s Hockey League. She explores major investments, such as Willow Bay and Bob Iger’s funding of Angel City FC, showcasing how women's sports rights are becoming valuable assets. The discussion also touches on the struggle of traditional networks in the streaming era and the broader implications for sports media investments.
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Women's Sports Coverage Boom
- Media companies are expanding women's sports coverage because audience demand and advertiser interest are rising rapidly.
- New women's leagues and focused reporting indicate a significant shift in sports media priorities.
Women's Sports Attract Top Investors
- Influential investors like Bob Iger boost confidence in women's sports as a valuable asset class.
- Brands now target women business decision makers, many of whom are former athletes, making women's sports lucrative for sponsorship.
NIL Disparity in Women's Sports
- NIL deals concentrate mostly on basketball, gymnastics, and track, while other women's sports struggle for similar momentum.
- The commercialization of women's sports may favor some sports over others, posing a growth challenge.