2024 was the year for women’s sports. From college basketball to the Olympics, female athletes shined, and Americans took notice. Women’s sports have been around for decades, but why are more people now finally paying attention?
Because a platform has been given to grow the game and give these athletes a voice. Leveraging custom research at YouGov Sport, we asked YouGov’s proprietary panel what factors influence peoples’ decision to watch women’s sports. Nearly half of avid sports fans (47%) indicated that individual athletes impact their decision. More generally, over 3 in 5 of all women’s sports fans (61%) selected individual athletes as a reason for them to tune in.
The age of social media has opened the door for female athletes; over half of avid sports fans (52%) follow a female athlete on social media, according to YouGov data. The top athlete followed was Serena Williams, followed by Simone Biles, Alex Morgan, and Angel Reese. Individual athlete endorsements and social media presence are important to about half (49%) of avid sports fans in their engagement with women’s sports.
Not only are people following, but they are recognizing the power of these individual female voices. 1 in 3 avid sports fans agree with the statement, “In terms of social media impact, female athletes have a larger impact than their male counterparts on their respective sports.” Interestingly, about a quarter (24%) of men’s sports fans agree with this statement.
YouGov Ratings data tracks favorability of sports personalities on a 5-point scale and includes a mix of male and female athletes. In the top 20 list of positive ratings for current athletes among US adults, eight of them are female (40%). A variety of sports are represented, including gymnastics, basketball, and tennis, among others. These positive ratings of female athletes indicate that a strong appetite exists for women’s sports.
With growing women’s sports fandom supercharged by growing player admiration, women’s sports leagues across the country stand to benefit tremendously. Among American adults (A18+), the combined Net Buzz score for six major women’s sports leagues (FIFA Women’s World Cup, LPGA Women’s Golf Tour, NWSL, USWNT, WNBA, and WNBA) leagues grew on average by 129% since 2021.
Net Buzz, which measures positive or negative conversation around the sport property, climbed slightly year-over-year, with the largest jump so far seen in 2024. We see a similar story when analyzing Net Value, which assesses if the sport property provides good to poor value to those paying to watch. On average, Net Value for these women’s leagues rose 2.34x since 2021.
Momentum surrounding women’s sports can be attributed to a variety of factors; however, there is no denying the impact of female athletes on the game. If the data tells us anything, it’s that this is just the beginning. Whether you’re watching Caitlin Clark fire up logo threes or tuning into Coco Gauff dominate another Grand Slam, women’s sports are here to stay. Let’s continue to grow the game with powerful data and trends to further expand their platform.