Parity’s 2023 in Review

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is taking time to slow down ever so slightly and reflect on the prior 365 days. And let’s face it, those of us sprinting to keep pace with developments in women’s sports this year could use a bit of a breather.?

By almost any measure, 2023 has been monumental for women’s sports. Whether you look at media coverage, attendance figures, team and league sponsorships, or the sheer prominence of the conversation, everything has been massively up and to the right. At Parity too, we have plenty of successes and learnings to reflect on. Here’s how the year played out from our vantage point.

The first quarter: warming up

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT: March Madness looked different in 2023, with women’s basketball dominating the headlines throughout this year’s NCAA tournament. Amidst a slew of delicious rivalries, stars were born and quickly became household names: South Carolina's Aliyah Boston, LSU's Angel ‘Bayou Barbie’ Reese, and of course Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, whose ridiculously deep 3-pointers rivaled those of Steph Curry. WBB fever peaked in the championship game, watched by 9.9 million viewers - making it ESPN platforms’ most-viewed college basketball game (men’s or women’s) in history. With good reason, The Sporting News just named Reese and Clark their Athletes of the Year.

PARITY HIGHLIGHT: We published our first-ever impact report covering our two years since inception, during which we put $2 million directly in the pockets of women athletes through our work. In the report we celebrated the dynamic brands that we’ve partnered with to date, the incredible athletes who are part of our growing community, and the outstanding team that has driven this progress.

The second quarter: hitting our stride

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT: Plans crystallized for the launch of a new six-team professional women’s hockey league, with LA Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter and the one and only Billie Jean King leading the charge in partnership with the PWHPA. The resulting Professional Women’s Hockey League should provide a stable, economically viable structure for top players in the industry for years to come. Get ready for the Toronto Torch, Ottawa Alert, Montreal Echo, Boston Wicked, New York Sound and Minnesota Superior when the league launches in January 2024.

PARITY HIGHLIGHT: We were featured as part of the Microsoft 2023 Game Changers campaign, a program highlighting women and organizations using technology and data to elevate women's sports. We are proud of our long-standing relationship with Microsoft and are already hard at work for a brand new 2024 campaign together - stay tuned for details.?

The third quarter: overcoming the odds

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT: we figured out time differences and set our alarms to watch an action-packed FIFA Women’s World Cup. The USWNT may have been upset by Sweden in the round of 16, but the tournament barrelled onward delivering plenty of thrills, from that heartstopping penalty shoot-out to the hard-fought finals between England and eventual champions, Spain. After a thrilling finish, the high standard of play was quickly overshadowed by the appalling behavior of Luis Rubiales and the failure of authorities to act quickly and decisively.? Just one more affront to women athletes everywhere.?

PARITY HIGHLIGHT: in July, after women were barred from competing at the 2023 Icosathlon World Championships, we signed on as title sponsor of an event giving men and women athletes the chance to compete side by side in the ‘double decathlon’ over two grueling days. At the resulting 2023 ICO For All Championships Powered by Parity, Lauren Kuntz shattered the women’s world record.?

In September, we launched Parity Locker, an ecommerce site designed to help pro women athletes auction off game-worn gear and other memorabilia directly to fans and collectors. Since launch, fans from dozens of countries have come to the site, successfully bidding on 50+ items from 10+ sports. As we heard from one professional triathlete and swimmer, “Selling on Parity Locker was a fantastic experience! It’s a special way to connect with fans around the world. You truly never know who you’re inspiring and the Parity Locker experience reminded me of that!”

The fourth quarter: can't stop won't stop

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT: As we drew toward the close of the year, an increasing (and exciting) number of women’s sports headlines were all about the money. Whether it was the news that the NWSL had secured $60-million-per-season domestic media rights contracts for the next four years, or Deloitte’s projection that elite women’s sports will generate $1.28B in revenue in 2024, sponsors, fans and media properties are most definitely paying up. And, even as softer economic times are being forecasted, our friends at Front Office Sports recently confirmed that women’s sports is bucking the trend. We love to hear this, and we exist to make sure pro women athletes reap the economic benefits of their talents and surging popularity.

PARITY HIGHLIGHT: Our partnerships team kicked into gear, announcing new relationships with the Brandr Group who focus on college athletes just as Parity focuses on pro women athletes, to extend brand partnership opportunities to women athletes throughout and beyond their playing careers; and with Grandstand, a new app launched to help athletes monetize their fan bases with exclusive content and access. The first Parity athletes are now live on Grandstand; download the app to follow the journeys of diver Katrina Young, golfer Shasta Averyhardt, and many others about to launch.

And we can’t reflect on Q4 without wanting to relive Parity Week by Gainbridge all over again! From hearing Billie Jean King and Lyn St. James advise Annika Sorenstam on how and when to work with Augusta on a women’s golf tournament, to watching 180 professional women athletes compete for almost $13M in prize money at Gainbridge-sponsored events, to seeing 75+ Parity athletes participate in our largest single activation to date, it was a week to remember packed full of fun and memorable moments - and it set a high bar that we’ll aim to surpass in 2024.?

A year of growth at Parity, with more to come

Throughout the course of 2023 we’ve been hard at work driving the growth of our athlete network, our team, and our client base. A few more highlights to share:

New athletes

We grew our athlete network by 24% in 2023, welcoming almost 200 more pro women athletes to Parity from sports as diverse as cycling, surfing, and trampolining. Some of our community are just getting started in their career, like Sedona Prince getting ready for the WNBA draft, while some are at the height of their career (Lee Keifer, going for fencing gold again this summer in Paris) and others have retired as undisputed legends (looking at you, Lisa Leslie). Our ‘why’ is getting more dollars flowing toward these athletes - and hearing how meaningful Parity’s support can be only inspires us to do more.

New teammates

We welcomed several new Parity employees including athletes Elizabeth Montavon (Waterskiing), Emma Schieck (Sitting Volleyball Paralympian), and Ayana Fletcher-Walker (Track & FIeld). We also upleveled our leadership in key functions by hiring industry leaders Marianne Schroer (Marketing) and Devon Krivec (Product). My sincere thanks to the entire Parity team for all the hard work this year. Your feedback helped Parity become one of Front Office Sports’ Best Employers in Sports for 2023; I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together in 2024.?

New (and repeat) clients

In addition to continuing work with some of our favorite clients like Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Gainbridge, and Indy Women in Tech, we onboarded multiple new clients for creative partnerships with pro women athletes. Among my favorite recent activations:

• Mexican race car phenom Regina Sirvent showing off Lightbox’s lab-grown diamonds
• PBX Pickleball featuring retired athletes like Breeja Larsen and Brooke Bennett at their popular events, with many more athlete appearances planned for 2024
• WNBA champ Essence Carson inspiring the African American Leadership group at a financial services conference sponsored by Delaware Life
• Our favorite water skier Elizabeth Montavon modeling Natori in this fun Instagram post
• DC Divas football player Lois Cook giving oscar-worthy performances, plural as part of Morgan Stanley’s ‘Money in the Making’ campaign
• Essence Carson in action again - this time showing us how fabulous Superfeet’s ME3d insoles can be

So, what’s next?

The momentum is exhilarating - and yet when it comes to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports, as well as in ensuring that women athletes receive fair and respectful treatment, we know it's still early days.?

In 2024 you can expect Parity to double down on finding creative ways for brands to partner with talented pro women athletes in pursuit of their goals. When we get it right, it’s a triumphant triple play: brands win by reaching and engaging new audiences while doing their part for equity and inclusion; athletes win by supplementing their income so they can alleviate stress and focus more on training; and fans win by seeing more of the athletes they love, supporting products, services and causes they’re connected with.?

Join the movement

We like to say that the rise of women’s sports isn’t just a moment, it’s a movement, and we invite you to join us. Here are five ways you can support Parity and our athlete community:

• Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get smarter about the latest developments in women’s sports - especially what’s going on with athletes beyond the “big 4” (soccer, basketball, tennis, and golf).
• Rep Parity in the wild. The woman athlete or ally in your life would surely look stunning in a Parity shirt, hat or shorts that says, ‘Let’s Pay Women Athletes’.
• Shop Parity Locker. Throughout 2024 we’ll be launching special collections of game-worn gear that you can buy directly from athletes. Not only are you supporting those athletes by putting money directly in their pockets, you’re also buying a piece of sporting history each time you do it, and scoring a unique collectible in the process.
• Hire women athletes through Parity. Whether you need a memorable speaker for a conference or event, an ambassador to represent your brand over time, or fresh ways to engage new audiences across social channels, almost 1,000 Parity athletes are on standby for you. And this isn’t a charity move - it’s a great opportunity for your business to tap into the power, potential and popularity of these pro women athletes.
• Follow us on social. Whatever your channel of choice - Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok or Threads - we’ve got a lot to say. And we’re betting that there will only be MORE to talk about when it comes to women athletes in 2024, so stick close and stay up to speed.

I’ll close by saying a huge thank you to our athletes, our clients, and our team for an incredibly exciting year at Parity. Let’s enjoy the festive season, then buckle up for what will surely be the biggest year yet in women’s sports.