SponsorUnited shares new data proving the favorability of women athletes in NIL sponsorships

The GIST: A recent SponsorUnited NIL report on the 2023-24 season details how women college athletes are taking over the NIL space as they see a higher percentage of deals per athlete and increased social engagement compared to men. Here are some of the most telling numbers that prove women athletes are ideal brand ambassadors.

💰 Women athletes had 52% of NIL deals, outscoring the 48% of deals for men. Last season, 62% of deals belonged to men and 38% went to women. While college football dominates men’s NIL deals, 2023-24 deals for women were spread evenly across sports, with WBB accounting for 35%, followed by gymnastics at 18% and volleyball at 15%.

🎓 A surprising 35% of brands invested solely sponsoring NIL athletes. This is lower than the 51% of brands that only opt to invest in major pro sports, but for some brands, collegiate partnerships offer more targeted advertising opportunities. The pharmacy, educational services and car wash industries have notably embraced NIL investments. Cleaning up.

🏐 Southern Methodist University volleyball star Alex Glover has 41 NIL deals, the most of any college athlete. Volleyball’s total number of deals doubled YoY thanks to two factors: Glover’s 33 new deals this year pushed the needle forward considerably, and women’s volleyball is surging in popularity thanks to strong grassroots participation.

🏀 Women's basketball saw a 60% NIL deal increase YoY, far outpacing men's basketball. The sport accounted for 35% of women’s sponsorships, with the apparel, fast-food, and tech industries representing the most active brands in the sport. The NIL discrepancy is best represented by shoe deals: 14 women’s players have NIL shoe deals, compared to three on the men’s side.

📱 NIL athletes in women’s basketball and gymnastics gained at least 60K social media followers this season. That’s triple the follower growth of men’s football and reflects a 34% YoY increase, which translated to new deals: Women athletes saw a 36% YoY jump in NIL deals signed. Sealed and delivered.