The rise of women's sports and trends in fan engagement were key topics at the recent Licensing Summit in New York.
Chairman of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association tom cove Despite the attention that top female athletes receive, caitlin clarke and alex morgangrassroots sports participation by women is a fundamental trend that deserves attention from everyone in business.
With its inclusion as an Olympic sport, “girls' flag football is now a varsity sport at many high schools,” Korb said. “In 10 years, 45 states will have done that.”
“The question going forward is whether the Caitlin Clark effect can take the WNBA by storm. I think this platform exists now, but it probably didn't exist 20 years ago. I'm interested in whether they will become “shoes” for female basketball players. Now a lot of them are wearing LeBron and KD. ”
The fastest growing girls' sport in high school is, somewhat surprisingly, girls' wrestling. Korb attributed this to the sport's accessibility to all girls.
The WNBA is counting on Caitlin Clark to bring more big moments like last year's league finals.Getty Images
■ University try: The game, in which Iowa's Clark set an NCAA scoring record, drew 3.2 million viewers, nearly triple the most-watched WNBA game in history. Therefore, “everything we're doing is focused on converting 3.2 million viewers on Sunday night into 3.2 million viewers for Caitlin Clark's first game.” said. Kaithi (Another Caitlin) donovan Director of growth strategy for the WNBA. “We are wholeheartedly focused on the what, how, where and why of the NCAA. [women’s basketball] Explain what fans are and how you incorporate them into your business. ”
Even before Clark announced he was turning pro, the WNBA had increased the number of blank jerseys on order by nearly 70%. Therefore, “the time to invest in women's sports was yesterday. … It's not the risk it seemed three to five years ago,” Donovan asserted.
Of course, retail sales are no small feat, and women's sports have some work to do to get there.
“A lot of retailers see us as an event-based business that hosts the World Cup every four years,” he said. Alyssa Cherger Director of Licensing, United States Soccer Federation. “We have to educate them more about other events, such as the 20 to 24 friendlies that are played every year.”
anna drucker Athletes Unlimited's senior vice president of finance and operations advocated a unified approach: We all need to understand that,” she said.
■ Engagement party: At the fan engagement panel, the characteristics of media and its opposite characteristics were discussed.
“We've separated community building for athletes from just social media,” he said. Raquel Douglas Snapchat's global head of athlete partnerships promoted the sale of products tied to filters that allow virtual try-ons on licensed apparel.Chief Brand Officer on overtime as a sports asset tyler ratstein He said his company is focusing more on “disruptive sports IP that brings fans and athletes closer together.”
Regarding the launch of boxing league OTX through Overtime, he said: “Boxing is Gen Z’s favorite martial art, propelled by YouTube and TikTok. Anyone who knows martial arts knows UFC, but no one can name the platform for boxing, so there is is likely to have a lot of blank spaces.
Referring to Nickelodeon's NFL broadcasts, roman oben said the NFL's vice president of football development and strategy, a 12-year veteran on the field. … Every fan wants more content now, and it goes from the days when players sat behind a table and signed autographs just because they were getting paid to have a brand identity and to the NFL. I've seen him evolve into the player he is today. Lots of NIL deals and social media following. …Today's former athletes have a much better platform for engagement and are leaving the game with fans and social followings for their brand. …There are many other ways to get involved. And a lot of my teammates who weren't interviewed back then are the players I watch now on ESPN.
■ With pickles: No sports conference is complete without a discussion about pickleball. A recent SFIA study cited by Korb ranked pickleball as the fastest growing participatory sport in the country for the fourth year in a row, with the U.S. pickleball population increasing from 4 million in 2021 to The number of people increased to 13.6 million.
“We've never seen growth like this in the history of American sports,” Korb said. “And it's widespread across all age groups, suggesting this is more permanent than some people think.”
Will there be a shakeout among pickleball equipment manufacturers next? Korb noted that 400 manufacturers submitted paddles to NGB USA Pickleball for certification in 2022.
By last year, that number had exploded, with about 1,000 manufacturers seeking approval.
Terry Lefton can be reached at tlefton@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
