Brand deals across women’s sports have increased 20% year-over-year

STAMFORD, Conn., Oct. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — SponsorUnited, the leading global sports and entertainment intelligence platform tracking more than 700,000 sponsorships and endorsements across 200,000 brands, today released its 2022 Women In Sports Report, which analyzed brand partnerships for both collegiate and professional sports across teams and individual athletes. 

The report found that 3,500 brands bought a total of 5,650 sponsorships or media across 14 professional women’s leagues and collegiate NIL athletes. It also revealed that 1,110 brands bought a total of 2,185 sponsorships or media across individual professional and college female athletes. 

“While Women’s sports have always faced a variety of disparities in the industry, their ability to win over audiences and drive an exceptionally high level of engagement for brands is undeniable,” said Bob Lynch, CEO and Founder of SponsorUnited. “In recent years, attendance, viewership and social engagement for women’s sports and athletes has spiked, leading to long-overdue financial backing through investments and sponsorships that are visibly paying off and should only continue to accelerate.”

Key findings include: 

Alex Morgan is the most endorsed female athlete of the year 

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) player scored 27 brand deals in 2022, which is more deals than any NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS or NHL athlete. Morgan leapfrogged over Ali Krieger, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, the top three most-endorsed female athletes in 2021. She is endorsed by Coca-Cola, Google, Chipotle, Michelob Ultra and AT&T, among others. 

Partnership deals across women’s sports have increased 20% year-over-year 

Sponsorships with women grew 20% year-over-year across the major U.S. sports (LPGA, NWSL, WNBA, WTA), top European soccer leagues (Women’s Super League and Liga F), and Big Bash League, AFL, NRL Telstra Premiership, Netball Superleague, Suncorp Super Netball and World Netball. Finance brands–which are already the most active sponsorship category among women’s sports–upped their sponsorship game by 30%, followed by Apparel & Accessories and Media to round out the top-three brand verticals.

Women’s golf outnumbers all other women’s sports for brand deals 

With 940 brand deals in 2022, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) saw a 30% increase in deals from the previous year and an 18% increase in new brand partnerships. Notable partnerships include Coca-Cola, Rolex and Epson. The LPGA held a 17-deal lead over the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which had 923 deals in 2022, followed by the National Women’s Soccer League, which had 496 deals. 

Nike is the #1 sponsor for both professional and collegiate sports 

Nike has sponsorships with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NWSL, Women’s Big Bash League (Cricket), Netball and the LPGA, and with more than 60 athletes. Nike also sponsors five collegiate athletes and has partnerships with 68 colleges. Trailing Nike is Adidas, the second top brand partner for both professional and collegiate sports. 

To view the full Women in Sports 2022 report visit: https://sponsorunited.com/women-in-sports-2022/ 

To learn more about SponsorUnited and how the platform is powering stronger partnerships for brands, agencies, properties, and talent, visit: https://sponsorunited.com/. 

About SponsorUnited

Launched in 2018, SponsorUnited is the leading global sports and entertainment intelligence platform, delivering real-time trends and on-demand research that provide invaluable insights. With over 10M assets, 700K deals, 200K brands, and 30K properties across sports, media, music, and events in one SaaS database, SponsorUnited enables brands, properties and agencies to partner more effectively. By connecting the entire sponsorship ecosystem through the most comprehensive data available anywhere, SponsorUnited is fueling smarter partnerships.

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SOURCE SponsorUnited