The Business Case For Women's Sports: A Podcast

At the 2020 ESPNW Women + Sports Virtual Summit, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said something that has stuck with me ever since. She said, “If these two facts are right: 84% of sports fans are interested in women's sports, and women control 85% of US spending power, we should be able to really transform the way women's sports are valued.”

“If these two facts are right: 84% of sports fans are interested in women's sports, and women control 85% of US spending power, we should be able to really transform the way women's sports are valued.”

For a long time, I’ve thought that women’s sports - like women in our society - are grossly undervalued. And the data proves it. Currently, female athletes receive less than 4% of media coverage and less than 1% of endorsement dollars. However, 2020 was a monumental year for the growth of women’s sports. In a year when men’s sports ratings dropped significantly, women’s sports made significant gains. Women’s sports showed growth in sponsorship dollars, social media impressions, overall viewership, and merchandise sales. It is clear that growth of women’s sports is the most exciting trend in the sports industry today. 

Enter the GOALS podcast. 

Today, we officially launched our podcast: The Business Case For Women's Sports. The podcast will set out to prove exactly what Cathy Engelbert is alluding to - that it’s good business to be in the business of women's sports. We will explore every corner of the women’s sports industry from the field to the front office. Every episode, we will interview leaders in women’s sports and dig into topics like data insights, marketing strategies, and sponsorship deals, so we can share the stories behind the biggest breakthroughs in the industry. Our "GOAL" with this podcast is to show brands, networks and people in general that it’s good business to invest in women’s sports. 

It is clear Cathy Engelbert tapped into something that not many leaders in the sports industry are willing to acknowledge - that it is simply a smart investment to bet on women and women’s sports. We will aim to prove that.

Listen to the Pilot episode on Spotify or Amazon Music.