The GIST and Barbarian team up for a data-powered report on the ROI in women’s sports

The GIST: This week, The GIST debuted a new report in partnership with NYC agency Barbarian that explores the proven interest and investment potential in women’s sports. The report delineates the paradigm shift in how the category is considered, the intense audience engagement among women’s sports fans, and identifies trends to keep an eye on.

• The GIST and Barbarian also conducted a survey on women’s sports fans, offering fresh new insights into how fans of varying demographics engage with women’s sports. Let’s dive in.

The shift: Despite longstanding myths, women’s sports are interesting and entertaining for fans and profitable for investors and brands. The women’s game has seen a 275% increase in media coverage over the past five years, while revenue has increased 300% since 2022. And this year alone, women’s sports are expected to generate over $2.35B.

The survey: Women’s sports fans — especially younger ones — want content that goes beyond live games and highlights, and they love catching games with friends. More than half of Gen Z participants (68%) prioritize funny and trendy content, while nearly 50% say creative storytelling is a must. Plus, 79% of women surveyed consider game highlights and personal stories to be equal in value.

• For Gen Z and millennial women’s sports fans, behind-the-scenes content sees slightly more engagement than personal stories about athletes, while body positivity and mental health advocacy are just as important as win-loss records.

The audience: Compared to men’s sports fans, women’s fans are 30% more likely to engage with a brand and 4x more likely to follow athletes on social media. They’re also 3.5x more likely to buy a product endorsed by a woman athlete than any other type of influencer.

• And brands really should consider what women’s sports fans think, because 67% are earning more than $100K. Moolah la.