How brands should show up in women's sports

When brands think about where to show up during such cultural moments as the recent Women’s History Month in March, the instinct is often to focus on the type of messaging: campaigns that signal support, empowerment, or alignment.

That’s understandable. But increasingly, audiences are looking beyond what brands say to where and how they show up. Right now, one of the most powerful places to do that is women’s sports.

It’s an arena where positivity still reigns supreme, especially following the recent Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina. Global tournaments are seeing record-breaking viewership, and brand investment is surging.

The brands that make it a mission to platform women athletes, like Dove and Degree, help the cultural spotlight for women shine even brighter.

Over the last few decades the role of women’s sports in culture has evolved. What used to be treated as a secondary platform or seasonal opportunity has become something far more significant: a consistent, growing ecosystem of fandom, storytelling, and influence. Through work with brands like Dove and Degree, I’ve experienced how meaningful investment in women athletes can unlock emotionally resonant connections with audiences.

Above: This spot for Degree features basketball player JuJu Watkins, who's widely regarded as one of the best players in the NCAA and a role model for aspiring female athletes.

And yet, some brands still approach it as if it’s a ‘moment’ to tap into, rather than a space to invest in long-term. That thinking is quickly becoming outdated.

The surge in viewership, attendance, and media attention around women’s sports is well documented. A according to Deloitte, women’s elite sports are projected to generate over $1 billion in annual revenue, driven by increased sponsorship, media rights, and fan engagement.

What’s even more interesting is why people are tuning in. It’s not just for the competition, it’s for the connection too. Fans are engaging with stories of identity, resilience, and community in ways that feel more immediate and authentic than traditional sports narratives have historically allowed.

Audiences can quickly tell the difference between brands that are participating in women’s sports because it’s timely and those that are invested because it’s meaningful.

You can see this shift clearly in the rise of individual athletes as cultural and commercial forces. Caitlin Clark has driven record-breaking attendance and TV ratings in women’s basketball, with her games consistently ranking among the most-watched in the sport’s history. In tennis, Coco Gauff continues to attract global audiences and major sponsorships, while in football, Alex Morgan remains a cornerstone of brand campaigns focused on both performance and advocacy.

For brands, that shift changes the brief entirely. The brands making an impact are the ones building integrated, culturally fluent campaigns that live across talent partnerships, social storytelling, product innovation, and real-world experiences. They’re not orbiting the moment; they’re helping shape it.

We’ve seen how powerful that can be through work tied to major global stages, from the Olympics to international football tournaments, where women athletes are no longer peripheral figures, but central to the narrative. When brands commit to telling those stories with depth and intention, the work resonates far beyond the final deliverable.