Own the mic

The GIST: Yesterday, USC Annenberg published a first-of-its-kind report on the athlete-owned media economy. It identifies movers and shakers in the space, but also notes the gap between men and women athletes — women were featured in only 22% of the athlete-owned podcasts analyzed. Let’s dive in.

The landscape: Researchers identified 33 athlete-owned production companies working on more than 370 properties, with legacy athletes like LeBron James and Peyton Manning leveraging their star power to generate millions. Only a few women athletes like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Sue Bird, and Megan Rapinoe have production companies on a similar scale.

• While production companies are a massive undertaking, podcasts are relatively easy to lead and launch thanks to social media platforms like YouTube. The report tracked the 45 most-watched athlete-owned podcasts that have collectively garnered 7B YouTube views, 725M TikTok likes, and 37M Instagram followers.

• The most successful bootstrap productions are often picked up by major media companies: The popularity of New Heights led to a $100M Amazon Wondery deal, while Pat McAfee leveraged his dedicated YouTube following in an $85M ESPN agreement. Such blockbuster deals are rare for women’s sports pods, although Audacy did acquire Re—Cap in July.

The gender gap: The athlete-owned media space provides women athletes opportunities they don’t get in traditional media, but there’s still a gender gap. This makes a difference in what fans are exposed to: Even having a woman guest on a predominantly male podcast, like when Brandi Chastain joined Games With Names, can drastically alter the conversation.

• USC found when an episode of a sports pod featured at least one woman, they covered women’s issues 30% more than the average New York Times sports article and 4.5x more than episodes with men only. The financial gap between women and men athletes is also evident in these conversations: Men discussed money twice as often as women.

The opportunity: Male athlete–owned media is still taking up a lot of airtime, but it’s important to note how women’s sports fans are eagerly tuned in: USC said over half of women’s sports fans have listened to audio sports content within the last year.

• The report also emphasized how athlete-owned media can offer a unique glimpse into their lives, something women sports fans (and younger audiences) are interested in — and something women athletes have used to build engaged fan bases. Born to use mics.

The GIST: Last week, Snapchat teamed up with marketing agency Dentsu and research firm Ipsos to publish insights on the consumption of women’s sports, especially among frequent Snapchat users. The app surveyed over 13K sports fans across seven countries, including India and Australia, and uncovered what daily Snapchat users had to say about women’s sports. Oh snap.

🌏 The women’s sports fan community is global, growing, and connected. Globally, 62% of all sports fans follow women’s sports, with 56% of fans noting their interest in the women’s game is growing. Additionally 57% of women’s sports fans surveyed said following athletes and creators makes them feel like part of a community.

♥️ Fans notice and acknowledge sponsors. As seen in previous data, these women’s sports fans appreciate sponsors in the space — 69% want to see brands support communities built around women’s sports, and 70% believe such sponsors are truly committed to diversity and inclusion.

🚀 Social-forward fans see women athletes as superinfluencers. Social media content was the leading source of influence for 44% of fans, making the power women athletes wield even more profound. Over half (54%) of women’s sports fans believe the women’s game is better equipped to harness the power of social media, and 58% said social platforms let them feel closer to athletes.

🛍️ Athlete influence drives brand consideration. Seventy-seven percent of those following women athletes and creators report being positively influenced to discover, consider, or purchase items. This number is even higher (83%) among daily Snapchat users who are specifically women’s sports fans.

• Additionally, 85% of those following athletes and creators in women’s sports are more interested in seeing non-sports content, a number that rises to 90% among women’s sports fans using Snapchat daily. The top categories they want to see endorsements in include health (41%), lifestyle (38%), beauty (37%), and fashion (36%).

The takeaway: This new report about women’s sports fans using Snapchat overlaps with the data above showing that women’s sports fans care about athlete perspectives and want insight into their daily lives. What athletes think and do matters — especially to women’s sports fans — which is why we’re seeing brands elevate athletes as thought leaders and tastemakers.

• Consider Angel Reese and her influence on fashion. What began with her WNBA Draft declaration in Vogue has snowballed into an ability to make classic brands relevant for a new era, from her Juicy Couture ambassadorship to her historic appointment as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. A strong halo effect.

Spooky season may only come once a year, but if you’re a woman in sports, you know the chills don’t stop with October.

You’re hyped to celebrate your team, but instead you run into… 😱 Mansplaining and gatekeeping. 😱 Cruel, sexist comments. 😱 Trolls waiting around every corner.

It’s enough to make even the biggest fan want to log off.

That’s exactly why we launched The GIST back in 2018 — to create a more inclusive sports landscape, where diverse voices are celebrated, equal coverage is championed, and where all sports fans are welcomed.

• Together, we’ve built something pretty darn special…but we also know fandom isn’t one-size-fits-all.

When we hit 1M subscribers last year, we asked: what’s next? We didn’t guess. We asked you. And you told us loud and clear: you don’t just want a relationship with us — you want a relationship with each other.

✨ Enter The GIST Plus: a new community and members program designed to be your haven from trolls, toxicity, and tired old sports gatekeeping.

• It’s the supportive, inclusive sports community you’ve always deserved. A place to connect, celebrate your fandom freely, and dig a little deeper with The GIST you know and love.