6 Women In Sports With Must-See 2023 Brand Partnerships

The Rise of Women in Sports Sponsorship Deals

"We‘ve hit a tipping point in recent years around women‘s sports that completely changes the game for brands looking to engage authentically with female audiences."

That‘s according to Lisa Delpy Neirotti, Professor of Sports Management at George Washington University, just one industry expert among many recognizing seismic growth in women‘s sports partnership opportunities.

Delpy Neirotti projects marketing investment around elite women athletes to increase 30-50% by 2028 – matching recent trends. "As broadcast rights escalate across women‘s leagues and interest accelerates, it‘s a perfect storm for brands to align with the right rising superstars early."

Global revenue from women‘s sports sponsorship and marketing is predicted to hit $1.8 billion by 2026, more than double 2021‘s market size.

With everything from women‘s soccer viewership up over 30% to record WNBA merchandise sales in 2022, brands are rushing to partner with ascendant female athletes. The data shows why.

Star Power: Why Women Athletes Attract Sponsors

What makes leading women athletes so sponsor-friendly in 2024? The same qualities that earned them fame and fandom in the first place.

Raw athletic brilliance is the starting point, of course. Soccer striker Sophia Smith claiming the National Women‘s Soccer League MVP last year while barely old enough to order a drink left sponsors drooling at her potential. Smith‘s 15 goals in 18 matches make her the precise type of young phenom brands covet aligning with early, forecasting her future fame.

But her backstory carries nearly as much appeal. Overcoming major injuries in college to become the #1 draft pick before shining on the global stage at last summer‘s CONCACAF W Championship burnished Smith‘s personal narrative around perseverance and opportunity seized.

For brands like BioSteel who activated their multi-year partnership with Smith through the recent World Cup lead-in, her media spotlight reaching new heights made for ideal timing.

And today‘s leading female sports stars move audiences through bold, outspoken stances on equality issues as well. Take icon Billie Jean King lobbying for equal pay across tennis decades ago, or track legend Allyson Felix recently spotlighting the maternal health crisis facing Black women athletes and mothers.

By championing overlooked voices or advocating for ethical change, many empowered women athletes allow brands to tap into purpose-driven marketing full of authentic, emotional resonance with fans.

The Explosion of Investment in Women‘s Sports

All metrics point to women athletes as sports‘ most valuable emerging force commercially, as both Nielsen‘s 2022 Evolution Report and Statista tracking data reveals:

Jersey patch sponsorships alone have become a booming new stream valued collectively at over $15 million per year, led by Athleta‘s jersey deal with WNBA contenders Chicago Sky. Meanwhile WWE launched corporate backing for women‘s wrestling, Secret Deodorant partnered across multiple U.S. leagues, and companies like Dow, Budweiser, and more backed the surging National Women‘s Soccer League.

Digging deeper across regions, women‘s sport sponsorship in cricket offers major potential in India, while China‘s focus toward female participation ahead of hosting upcoming Olympics promises to boost investment. Brands seeking global fanbases through world sports see far greater ROI potential partnering with women in previously overlooked regions.

And categories like wearables, augmented viewing, NFTs/metaverse experiences project as new technologies sponsors could leverage around elite stars. Early movers in women‘s sports will stay steps ahead activating new digital fan engagement methods.

Case Studies: Today‘s Marquee Athlete Partnership Examples

Now that we‘ve covered the lucrative marketplace conditions lifting women athletes into marketing prominence, which current sponsorship alliances show the blueprint for maximum impact? These five 2023 deals point toward key ingredients for success.

Sophia Smith x BioSteel

Even before her explosive 2022 Estrella trophy-winning NWSL MVP campaign placed Sophia Smith firmly on USWNT World CupTrajectory, sports nutrition brand BioSteel signed the budding soccer superstar in a long-term partnership as their VisibleWomen ambassador spanning hydration science education, equity causes, creative digital content, and more.

Their first-to-market move in backing Smith so early into the 22-year-old phenom‘s ascendance exemplifies the forward-thinking bet brands must make spotting women sports talents ahead of their stardom.

As BioSteel CMO John Celenza noted, "We pride ourselves on working with the best emerging talent…and Sophia certainly fits that mold as an incredible rising star."

The BioSteel deal also grants Smith equity in the brand itself – a structure more common in male sports deals that signals market forces pulling women closer to equal endorsement footing.

Emma Talley x SERVPRO

What does a national restoration services corporation have in common with an LPGA pro golfer? More than meets the eye, as this perfect branding alignment shows.

With SERVPRO looking to capture market share gains after recent natural disasters while promoting franchise opportunities, they turned to Emma Talley as brand ambassador for the 2023/2024 golf seasons.

As CEO Rick Issacson explained, "Emma‘s skills and her story of resilience align nicely with our company‘s approach."

Indeed, the 28-year-old Talley brings the same unflappable mental toughness persevering through chaotic weather event wreckage to the green, bouncing back from early bogeys. She‘ll wear the SERVPRO logo on tournaments globally as a walking embodiment of their reliability.

The partnership also enables Emma to direct SERVPRO charitable funds toward her youth golf access foundation – expanding participation opportunities

Qiaodan Sports x Eileen Gu

When teenage freestyle skier Eileen Gu claimed double gold for China in the 2022 Beijing Olympics after early career success representing the U.S., her cross-culture stardom instantly exploded.

Gu‘s unique heritage bridging both nations while breaking barriers for women in extreme sports translates into perhaps over $50 million per year in endorsement deals. Her lead sponsor Qiaodan Sports (China‘s equivalent to Nike) announced record earnings largely stemming from their star athlete partnership.

As female participation in winter sports surges within China‘s national athletic development, Gu‘s inspirational journey adventuring across disciplines like modelling and education while scaling Olympic podiums repeatedly makes her the ideal, enviable figurehead for Qiaodan Sports to pin their brand ambitions on.

Crocs x Sunisa Lee

Bursting onto the global sports scene after capturing Olympic gymnastics all-around gold at age 18, the effervescent Sunisa Lee quickly became a Gen Z icon beyond just the gym mat.

Between returning to elite competition en route to a 2024 Paris Olympics bid while leading Auburn gymnastics to national prominence, Sunisa also inked an NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deal with Crocs last year for what both parties call a "perfect fit."

Lee‘s signature shoe design covering classic Crocs models with her smiley face doodles and mantras like "be happy" expertly capture the joyful essence that‘s made her an influencer darling with 5 million Instagram followers.

More profoundly, the Crocs partnership hints at Sunisa‘s future beyond the gym mat, as the brand looks to potentially collaborate on wider lifestyle product offerings showcasing Lee‘s creativity.

Allyson Felix x Athleta

Even in retirement from competitive track and field, all-time great sprinter Allyson Felix continues leveraging her platform toward female empowerment – specifically within motherhood.

Felix famously split from Nike in 2019 after the brand declined supporting athlete moms post-childbirth, instead signing an endorsement deal with Athleta that sees her serving as an activist partner focused on a key woman‘s health cause: maternal mortality rates.

Beyond directly funding race gap health research, together Felix and Athleta create financial grants and educational initiatives supporting pregnancy/childbirth safety, preventing complications through interventions in fitness, nutrition, mental health.

By elevating the crisis which sees Black women dying from childbirth at 3x the rate of white mothers, Felix moves the needle on systemic change through her partnership.

Key Ingredients for Activating Winning Women‘s Sports Sponsorships

Now that we‘ve showcased athlete partnerships poised to transform women‘s sports marketing, what core elements and strategies drive maximum value?

The case studies and interview insights reveal several consistent themes for activations that flex true fan impact:

Brand Values Alignment – Partners must connect on deeper mission level, priorities beyond promotions (e.g. BioSteel & Smith championing equity in women‘s soccer)

Community Relevance – Local outreach converting interest into tangible participation gains (Emma Talley‘s youth golf access)

Influencer Integration – Athlete as multimedia content creator, lifestyle tastemaker (Sunisa Lee x Crocs)

Thought Leadership – Position star as an expert voice on meaningful issues (Felix educating on maternal health)

Innovation Showcases – Utilize new tech like NFTs, branded devices fitting woman‘s life (wearables)

The most successful sports firms advise brands to approach women‘s teams/athletes as more than traditional sponsorship recipients or passive billboards.

"This is full 360 degree partnership territory with nothing off limits creativity-wise working with women sports talents positioned more as influencers, changemakers and community activists," notes Wasserman‘s Executive VP Elizabeth Lindsey, whose agency guides brands on expansion strategies.

Look for more brands taking heed in 2024, putting these principles into play partnering with barrier-breaking women athletes.

The Future is Female: Why Women‘s Sports Will Attract More Marketing Spend

While pay gaps, media coverage disadvantages, and other systemic barriers still hinder women sports‘ commercial potential, the numbers and trends revealing investment rapidly rising year over year don‘t lie.

Forward-looking brands aligned with today‘s ascendant female athletes and mainstream stars of tomorrow now stand to capture hearts, minds dollars of an increasingly valuable demographic in Gen Z and millennials.

But beyond chasing audiences, sponsoring empowered women in sports also allows brands to progress purpose-led business visions, supporting community impact goals and cultural change. As issues like equal access, pay parity, coverage fairness, and safety continue gaining overdue spotlight through voices like Billie Jean King and Allyson Felix – marketing plays a key role maintaining momentum.

The bottom line is that women‘s sports no longer represent an altruistic cause, but a sound competitive growth play for brands savvy enough to support athletic luminaries like skier Eileen Gu or striker Sam Kerr.

Early movers investing in women‘s sports partnerships right now guarantee both rewards for their brand and advancement for the larger culture. So for any doubters, the verdict is clear:

The future of sports is undoubtedly female. And brands joining forces today with history-making women athletes blazing trails will reap game-changing returns on that partnership down the road.