Women's Basketball Reaches New Heights
This March, we got to witness something special. The annual Women's NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament hosted 63 unbelievable games of college basketball, and most importantly, was a tremendous stride forward for women's basketball.
These women went from shining a light on the inequalities of resources at the start of the tournament, to breaking records of viewership and dominating the social media scene; they actively redefined what it means to play in the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
One of the most exciting parts of being a fan of NCAA basketball is filling out your bracket before the tournament begins. This year saw an increased participation in the 2021 ESPN Women's March Madness Bracket Challenge of 103%. Fans are clearly investing themselves in the sport - companies need to as well.
During the tournament, Front Office Sports released a study ranking the top 5 athletes playing in the Elite 8 based on number of followers and potential NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) earning power. 4 out of 5 of these players are women...and the numbers are astonishing.
With (likely) upcoming changes to the NCAA ruling on players earning money through the sale of their name, image, and likeness, a massive opportunity arises for brands to begin using female collegiate athletes as ambassadors. This is important, as the exposure to athletes during their collegiate careers creates fandom surrounding these individuals; which generally transpires into fans continuing to watch these players when they turn pro. The long-term benefits of these changes are immeasurable when looking at the sustainability of fan engagement in women's professional leagues.
When discussing the engagements of the tournament as a whole (vs. just these top players), the stats align. Social media engagements during the Women's UConn vs. Baylor Elite 8 matchup doubled the men's game, with over 9,600 posts. To finish the tournament with a bang, the championship game had 4.1 million viewers -- making it the most-watched championship game since 2014.
There is a consistent trend lately: men's basketball viewership on the decline, and women's increasing drastically. This past year, the NBA saw a 49% drop in viewership during the 2020 Finals, while the WNBA was up 15% for their Finals viewership. Companies looking to transition their investments into sports that are growing should look no further than women's basketball.
Our Take...
If there is one word to sum this up, it is resiliency. The beginning of the Tournament displayed the vast inequalities female athletes in the NCAA face regularly. Nearly non-existent training facilities, half-hearted resources for players, and less than desirable meals were top of the list. The players and staff held the NCAA accountable and publicly scrutinized the treatment of their teams compared to the men's tournament. This may have sparked an extra bit of fire under the players, as the performances we saw on the court this year were phenomenal. Through rookie sensations, buzzer beaters, and nail-bitters, the players and staff of these teams drove all of the successes we mentioned in this article. It is important we remember just that. These women fight for equality in sport, and put their talents on display so that future generations don't have to share the same inequality of experiences. The least we can do is support them on this journey.
~WPS