Wrapping Up a Monumental Year for Women’s Sports – And Continuing Momentum in 2024

By Madelyn Flax , Sports Communications Specialist, FINN Consumer Lifestyle and Sports

The number 23 has an iconic presence within sports. It started with Michael Jordan; the six-time champion wore 23 for most of his career, and we’ve seen so many dominant athletes wear the same number in the years since. Reflecting on the past year, the number 23 undoubtedly has a magical quality within the realm of women’s sports as well; 2023 was a transformational year for the women’s sports movement, in all aspects.

Women’s sports is projected to generate more than $1billion in revenue in 2024. That projection is directly tied to the enormous growth and momentum we saw in 2023 – None of which could have been possible without the incredible efforts of the brands, leagues, teams, individuals, and the female athletes themselves whose commitment and dedication to the cause has driven the women's sports movement forward.?

• This year’s Women’s March Madness ratings set a record high, averaging 9.9 million viewers – the most viewed NCAA women’s basketball final in television history.
• Big name athletes, business magnates and celebrities have jumped at the chance to invest in various professional women’s sports teams; ?Sheryl Sandberg (NWSL’s Bay FC), Eli Manning and Carolyn Tisch Blodgett (NWSL’s Gotham FC), Dwayne Wade (WNBA’s Chicago Sky) Tom Brady (WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces), and so many others.

• Brands like Ally are leading the charge in bolstering the women’s sports movement through investments; Ally itself exceeded its projected ad spend on women's sports this year.
• Leagues like the NWSL – whose groundbreaking new media rights deal is reshaping the value of women’s sports in real time – are setting new precedents for what can be accomplished when fans understand the magnetism behind their sport
• Teams like the Nebraska Women’s Volleyball Team – who set a world record for women’s sports attendance – Are tapping in to the spectacle that women’s sports can be and leveraging the moment
• Athletes like Caitlin Clark – who are re-defining what it means to be a female athlete both on and off the court – Are the future of this movement.

Earlier this year, the?Consumer Lifestyle and Sports group highlighted?the incredible momentum surrounding women’s sports. More recently, we took a deeper dive in to Caitlin Clark and how she represents so much of the progress we’ve seen to-date. All of it leads back to the indisputable fact: 2023 was the year when the women’s sports movement ARRIVED.

At FINN, our work has afforded us the opportunity to experience this shift in real-time and watch women’s sports grow in scope and influence. Given the incredible milestones we’ve seen in 2023, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what we can collectively accomplish in the women’s sports space in 2024. We couldn’t be more excited to continue this journey with the remarkable women, brands, leagues, teams, and fans that collectively ignited the spark that set the women’s sports movement ablaze.