K-pop activation at MLS playoff game signals prime opportunity for women’s sports to play into K-pop fandom

The GIST: Korean entertainment company HYBE (which cultivated K-pop sensations BTS and Katseye) is getting into sports, sponsoring MLS club LAFC’s first playoff game later today at BMO Stadium. Inspired by Korean player Son Heung-Min’s impact on the team, HYBE is celebrating Korean culture with popular eats from Koreatown staple Love Hour and a lightshow set to K-pop hits.

• It’s an innovative twist fusing LA’s soccer culture with the West Coast’s growing K-pop community, especially in a city with a rich Korean-American heritage. It’s also something NWSL clubs (and women’s sports in general) can consider in multicultural markets, especially those with sizable Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) populations on the West Coast. It’s as simple as that.

K-pop fan data: So what does K-pop have to do with sports? Let’s take a look at the audience data.

• 🌊 They’re about 80% women and predominantly reside on the West Coast. They are also highly interested in purchasing merch (collectibles) and belonging to a community.

• ✨ They’re multicultural. A 2023 SiriusXM study found 54% of listeners identified as AAPI, Hispanic, or multiracial, while a 2014 survey stated AAPIs comprise the largest share of K-pop fandom in the U.S. (33.8%).

• 👶 They’re young. SiriusXM also found 72% of K-pop listeners were Gen Z or millennial. Another survey found 25% of Gen Alphas list it as their favorite genre.

• 🎤 They’re tuned in. According to one U.S. survey of American K-pop fans, 82% listen to the genre daily.

The sports tie-in: Sports teams and sponsors should pay more attention to AAPI audiences, especially since they spend 15% more time watching live sports than the general population.

• There’s also a generational factor here: Younger generations are increasingly streaming global music, and are more likely to enter sports fandom through fashion, music, and other culture-driven pathways.

• The NFL, CONCACAF, and FIFA have leveraged international stars to drive new eyeballs, while California NBA teams like the Golden State Warriors and LA Lakers have already embraced the power of K-pop fandom.

The women’s sports opportunity: NWSL teams in cities with large AAPI communities have hosted theme nights in Seattle, the Bay Area, NYC, San Diego, and Portland, yet there could be more to this strategy. HYBE’s event proves there’s likely a prime, overlapping fandom among young, multicultural women’s soccer fans that teams and sponsors can cater to even further.

• Angel City has a perfect K-pop opportunity at their fingertips: They’ve signed South Korean international Casey Phair to their squad, are singing K-pop songs, and even welcomed girl group Katseye to a game this year. Time to activate.