Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash
Will Caitlin Clark Reimagine the Potential of Women’s Sports Marketing?
The fascination over Iowa’s star guard Caitlin Clark has many observers wondering if the presumptive No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft will not only transform women’s basketball in the years ahead but women’s sports overall.
In a column for USA Today, Nancy Armour, a sports columnist who covers social issues, said she believes Clark could become as transformative as Michael Jordan, who has earned credit for transforming the NBA into a global phenomenon, basketball sneakers into a fashion lifestyle choice, and Nike into the world’s largest sportswear company.
Over her four-year college career that ended in Iowa’s loss Sunday to undefeated South Carolina, the two-time national player of the year broke Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old record as all-time leading NCAA career basketball scorer and Steph Curry’s record for three-point shots made in a single NCAA season set in the 2007-08 season.
Armour wrote, “Like Jordan, Clark will be the gateway to the game for many, but they will soon find their interest growing beyond her. Just as the NBA looked different before Jordan and after, so, too, will women’s sports because of Clark.”
Clark’s appeal has been most notable in driving record ratings for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. Friday’s Iowa versus Connecticut game marked ESPN’s highest-rated basketball game ever with an average of 14.2 million viewers and a peak of 17 million, topping a record set days earlier by Iowa’s victory over LSU.
Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney, ESPN’s owner, said last week at his company’s annual meeting that the Iowa versus LSU game viewership ranked above all but one men’s NCAA tournament game, all but one NBA Finals game last season, and every World Series game in the most recent MLB postseason. Iger added, “That’s just a tremendous, tremendous affirmation that not only women’s sports arrived, but their potential is so tremendous.”
The strong ratings for the women’s March Madness tournament, also supported by other breakout stars like Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins, comes as women’s sports saw a breakout year in 2023 with record attendance and viewership for the NSWL (National Women’s Soccer League), a strong uptick for the WNBA (National Women’s Basketball Association), and surging viewership for women’s college volleyball. With Gen Zers particularly showing interest in watching women’s sports, major media deals were recently signed for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament and the NSWL.
Clark said after the South Carolina game, “I hope I showed everybody like how fun women’s basketball is, how fun women’s sports are, and brought joy to a lot of families whether you’re a young girl or a young boy, or an older man, an older woman … people my grandma’s age absolutely love our team.”
In an interview with the Associated Press, Kellyn Smith Kenny, chief marketing and growth officer at AT&T, described Clark as a “potentially once in a generation” athlete and talked up the value of women’s sports marketing. Viewers of women’s sports, she said, have a disproportionate share of their households’ discretionary spend, are far more likely to remember and recall brands advertising during games, and reward brands supportive of women’s sports.
“It seems like we’re in this moment of the power of the woman, and the power of the girl,” said Smith Kenny. “From what we saw last year with Beyonce and Taylor Swift and their tours, and this year with Caitlin (Clark) and Sabrina (Ionescu, a professional basketball player), there’s incredible momentum.”
Discussion Questions
Do you see Caitlin Clark as a potential catalyst to elevate women’s sports for spectators as well as marketers?
Will the payback from women’s sports sponsorships and marketing soon be on par with men’s sports?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Shep Hyken
Chief Amazement Officer, Shepard Presentations, LLC
Brian Cluster
Director of Industry Strategy - CPG & Retail, Stibo Systems
Caitlin Clark has already boosted viewership of women’s basketball, and will continue to do so. Her brand is riding high and that means sports brands should be ready to make deals to capitalize on her popularity and success. She can certainly benefit and throw a halo around women’s sporting categories.
Well said! Very inspiring to watch Caitlin Clark play and build her brand!
The marketing payback of women’s sports will reach (the level of) men’s when the sports themselves reach similar levels of popularity (i.e. revenue). It’s really a sport-by-sport calculation. Sports like tennis and golf reached …well I wouldn’t call it parity , exactly, but a shared ability to market household names several decades ago. Basketball may reach this stage in the next few years. But hockey? Baseball? Football? They seem to be decades way – if ever; and, unfortunately that’s where most of the money lies.
Caitlin Clark’s record-smashing season has enchanted spectators and marketers alike. The basketball superstar has grown the game by filling arenas, breaking viewership records and forcing brands to revise the assumption that “No one watches women’s sports.”
Clark joins icons like Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe and the indefatigable Billie Jean King as catalysts who are elevating women’s sports by attracting fans and investment.
Collectively, female athletes will earn a higher growth rate for sports sponsorships and marketing than male athletes. However, men will continue to dominate in terms of the total dollar value of those deals.
I don’t follow basketball, but I do know who Caitlyn Clark is, and I know that she is a phenom. My sister is an Iowa alum so you’d better believe our entire family is aware of Caitlyn’s prowess.
Right now, she’s approachable, meaning outside of college ball she hasn’t hit out of the atmosphere star status yet, but she’s close. Nike, State Farm, and Gatorade have already inked deals with Caitlyn and other brands would be wise to do so as well.
“Do you see Caitlin Clark as a potential catalyst to elevate women’s sports for spectators and marketers?” More than that, I think all the hype around her will elevate young women’s participation. With more participation goes more popularity.
The road will be long but shorter than that experienced by women’s soccer. The lady soccer players blazed much of the trail.
After watching in record numbers Friday’s and Sunday’s games, many new viewers discovered that the game itself is more fun to watch than the men’s game. They also found that the women didn’t include just one exciting player but a court with several.
Count me in that group that found the women’s game more fun that what I see from the men’s side of the tournament.
There will be a storm of demand for sponsorships, and fans will initially be intrigued. However, she is from “fly over country” and MSM will soon tire of this story. Already you have another great women’s basketball player publicly stating that her record was not broken (primarily because the three point line did not exist), so Ms. Clarks entry into the world of money will have many obstacles.
As to women getting sponsorships on par with men, while I think it would be cool to see, say, Nellie Korda get a huge offer from Nike, it will not happen I mean, she just won her fourth tournament IN A ROW and I challenge anyone to find that without some serious searching..it is masters week, who is Nellie Korda!!
I hadn’t watched women’s basketball in some years. My first reaction was “Dang, those women are GOOD” but of course I had tuned in because of Caitlin Clark. So, heck yeah!
Anytime a superstar emerges from a sport that gets minimal coverage and attention, there is an opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of. Caitlin Clark has given women’s basketball a bigger stage. It’s up to the NCAA, the WNBA, and other associated organizations to take advantage of this.
Caitlin Clark’s incredible combination of athletic talent and a down-home persona is unmatched. Her accomplishments are off the charts, and what she has done for women’s sports is nothing short of amazing.
At the moment, she’s scorching hot. Can she create the same buzz in the WBNA that she has in the NCAA? Only time will tell. NCAA basketball gets 90% of its attention during the tournaments. The rest of the year, aside from a loyal and specific fan base, there’s not a lot of interest. Even the NBA struggles with a long season, too many games, and, in many cities, 1/2 filled arenas. The WNBA, in particular, gets very little attention from the media, and attendance for most teams is dismal. Caitlin, Angel, and many of the other stars who have risen to national prominence in March, will have their work cut out for them, to bring the same level of fan interest to the pro league. I wish them well, but not particularly optimistic.
As a University of Iowa alum, I couldn’t be happier and more grateful on how the entire team has represented the university and elevated women’s sports. Caitlin Clark and certainly several other outstanding women athletes will continue to raise the bar in making women’s sports entertaining with excellent shooting, sound fundamentals and fast paced basketball. The next few years will be a boom for women’s basketball as the positive momentum continues and their pay elevates now due to a more popular and marketable product on the court.
Michael Jordan went from phenom to GOAT when the Chicago Bulls built a championship roster around his talent, and when sponsors (especially Nike) built a brand around him. Because of the NIL (name, image, likeness) policy of the NCAA, college stars like Caitlin Clark already have a head start in terms of endorsement deals and the visibility that goes with them.
That being said, nothing can diminish Clark’s talent and her star will continue to rise — provided that her WNBA team (presumably the Indiana Fever) follow that Bulls’ roster-building game plan. Championships build legends, and over time Clark and other great women basketballers have a chance to take the sport’s following to a new height.
Caitlin Clark is and will continue to be a catalyst for women’s sports, at all levels. She embodies so much goodness on a variety of fronts. It’s really inspiring. I started watching her play about 2 years ago and was amazed at her talent in all phases of the game. Yes, she’s a prolific scorer, but she’s a better passer which has made every player on the Iowa team a threat to score and has forced opponents to play the game end line to end line. My advice to CMO’s of large brands, find the next Caitlin Clark and invest early. The ROI will be incredible.
While women’s sports have not yet reached parity with their male counterparts, the gap is closing. This year’s women’s championship game garnered more viewers than five of the men’s championship games of the last decade.
Accessibility (playing & viewing) have transformed women’s sports. With the summer Olympics on the radar, I expect the women’s surge in popularity to continue.
Watch out guys!
Caitlin Clark is positively thrilling to watch (said this former basketball-indifferent chick). Perhaps even more satisfying is seeing all the little girls in the stands wearing Caitlin jerseys and holding signs. That alone portends a bright future for women’s sports. If anyone can close the gender gap, it’s Ms. Clark. Lisa Goller astutely pointed out those who paved the way for her.
My twin nieces are on the sport squad @ Iowa so I’m a follower. Caitlin Clark is the type talented, authentic of role model that big brands want to be associated with to broaden their reach and image.
Caitlin is the latest exceptional student athlete to follow the trail blazed by other from previous generations (Serena & Venus, Billie, Simone, USAWNT Soccer et al) … and hopefully many more will quickly follow as brands look for strategic long-term influencers to connect with consumers.
Clark is an electrifying player and almost single-handedly inspired a fascination with women’s sports. Smart brands will partner with her to bring in whole new audiences.
Caitlin Clark is a once in a generation driving force in women’s sports. However, everything will unfortunately change once she goes into the professional side of women’s sports where rampant discrimination, secondary treatment, and minor league status are still abundant. In the WNBA, the base salary will be just $76,000 for the #1 pick in the draft…in the NBA it is $1.12 million. Caitlin will have fewer games, fewer teams to play against, and fewer ways to prove herself. Unfortunately this means that the system is already stacked against her success, and moving generational change into focus for women’s sports.
Kaitlyn Clarks ability to electrify a sport and a generation beyond the game itself is very reminiscent of Michael Jordan in the 1980’s. Although it’s in the early stages of her career and popularity now, her drive toward excellence and personal brand will elevate not only girls in sports, women in sports, but for sport itself. This could be a fun ride ahead!
While the market conversation is riding the Caitlin wave, this started long ago with “playmakers” from the rosters of LSU, South Carolina, Notre Dame, and Uconn raising the level of play at the WBNA ranks. She is simply the exclamation point being put on rising value of women’s sports as viable Real estate! By the way, Sports is the most value real estate in the content business right now if you look at all the packed arenas.
The growing TV audiences for games, like those of Caitlin Clark’s at Iowa, showcase a clear and expanding interest in women’s sports, demonstrating their substantial marketing potential. As the season progressed, I found myself watching Iowa games as Caitlin approached the all-time scoring record and remained watching right through this Sunday’s final game. Such visibility not only attracts lucrative sponsorships and media coverage but also encourages investment in youth programs. This trend, fueled by standout performances, will pave the way for greater commercial investment and recognition in women’s athletics, which should lead to future marketing opportunities in women’s sports.