‘Women’s sport is not profitable and will never be’, they said. Not enough quality, but above all: not enough interest, not enough revenue. The same phrases appeared in all the discussions, whether it was football, basketball or tennis. But now the tide is turning. And it’s turning fast. New competitions like the basketball league Unrivaled and the World Sevens Football Series have sprung up, aiming for a fresh start. Their success has been staggering, exceeding all expectations.

New competitions like world sevens football series: innovation and courage

These competitions show that, as investor Michele Kang put it, women’s sport isn’t charity. On the contrary, women’s sport can be lucrative – if you dare to think outside the box. Why follow the same old rules that were laid down hundreds of years ago? Why settle for lazy comparisons with the men’s game when you can create something new?

For too long, women’s sport has struggled to step into the limelight and out of the shadow of the men’s competitions. New formats show that two factors are essential to achieve this. Firstly, there must be a willingness to change the game, to offer something different, not to settle for traditional solutions. Second, the players must be actively involved to ensure their well-being, and it is valuable to use their experience to appeal to younger audiences. Thirdly, it’s not just about creating new sporting rules, it’s about creating a sporting culture. Think differently and more boldly about sport, and create an exciting product that goes beyond scoring points. Two competitions show how effective these three ideas can be.

Unrivaled: Unprecedented success in women’s Sport

Imagine two leagues. One is well established, having produced stars for decades. The league is competitive, rivalries have developed over the years and TV ratings and attendances have risen massively. The season lasts six months and imitates the system of the successful men’s league. The second league is completely new and only runs for a few weeks in the off-season. There has only been one season so far, and only a handful of players are participating, playing far fewer games. So what do you think? Which league offers better financial opportunities for the players?

Obviously, you would have to pick the former. Anything else would be completely unrealistic: structures take years to grow, it takes time for business relationships to develop, there are more games and therefore more opportunities for income. All of that is true, but wrong when you compare the WNBA to the newly created Unrivaled League. The WNBA has been the premier women’s basketball league for decades, producing stars like Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and now basketball sensation Caitlin Clark. Yet the league has seemingly failed to capitalise on the growing appeal of the sport. On the other hand, Unrivaled – founded in 2023 by players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier – has been a resounding success.

Unrivaled: Financial success and high engagement rates on social media

The league has far exceeded financial expectations in its inaugural season, attracting a host of investors and partners. Unrivaled is a 3×3 league, which changes the nature of the game and allows for more speed and action compared to classic five-on-five basketball. The league has generated almost as much social media engagement as the WNBA, despite lacking some star power and playing fewer games. The engagement rate on social media was the highest of any women’s league across all sports globally, with insightful, funny and engaging content. Some players, such as WNBA rookie Paige Buckers, earn more in a few weeks on Unrivaled than they do during the entire regular season: All players earn six-figure salaries, with a total pool of $8 million.

Due to the success of Unrivaled, the next edition will feature 36 players instead of 30. The league has managed to combine top-level sport with social media success. Unrivaled hasn’t just created a new sporting opportunity, it’s created a new sporting culture. The likes of Coco Gauff and Stephen Curry have invested in the league, demonstrating a belief that this is a viable business opportunity and a fascinating project. At the same time, the players are at the forefront of the project, having created the league themselves and prioritising their wellbeing. Unrivaled is still a young league, but it has already shown the way for other projects.

Women’s football: World sevens football series launching soon

One of these is the new global 7v7 women’s football series, which launches in May this year. Like Unrivaled, it changes the game by tweaking the rules and using fewer players. More speed, more goals – and a lot more money. The new World Sevens Football Series has made headlines with its $5 million prize pool. That’s more than the world’s top women’s competition, the UEFA Champions League (UWCL). On board are several investors and former players, some of whom sit on the Player Advisory Council to ensure the voice of the players is heard. Bayern Munich and Manchester United will be among the first participants of the World Seven Football Series.

The competition is still young, but it clearly shows that change is possible in football. Similarly, the Queens League has created new opportunities for women’s football. The female equivalent of Piqué’s Kings League has among others produced the most-watched goal in the history of women’s football. Using a completely different set of rules, the league offers a different approach to football, almost a different sport altogether.

Three key COMPONENTS for growing women’s sport

So what’s the takeaway? Both Unrivaled and the World Sevens Football Series show that more prize money and higher wages aren’t just a naive dream. Instead, they prove that women’s sport is capable of attracting investors and audiences. But this doesn’t happen automatically. Rather, competitions need to actively consider how they can break away from comparisons with the men’s game. It is no coincidence that there is a W in the WNBA, but no M for men’s in the NBA: The men’s game is simply seen as the standard and the women’s game as a pale copy. As long as the rules and the system remain the same, this is likely to continue.

Secondly, more success on social media is possible if you put in the effort. Unsurprisingly, Unrivaled has shown that players know better than business people sitting in fancy offices what content their fans will like. This may seem obvious, but in most leagues the reality is different. Player involvement is key – that’s an important lesson for the women’s league. Finally, it’s about creating a new sports culture, building momentum and using sport as a broader platform. Caution is needed as these projects are still young and financial success is not always stable. But they have already taught established competitions an important lesson: with a unique product, the players involved and better marketing, so much more is possible for women’s sport.

Text: Helene Altgelt