What’s the state of women’s sports in the USA? A new survey from Parity cuts through the noise to reveal what fans are watching, thinking, and betting on for the future.
While the WNBA continues to surge in popularity, the real surprise lies elsewhere: newly launched women’s leagues—many less than five years old—are capturing serious attention. The data doesn’t just confirm growth in established sports; it flips the narrative entirely. Fans are showing up, and they’re looking beyond the usual suspects. A deeper dive into the numbers reveals some unexpected—and exciting—shifts.
WNBA surging ahead, but LPGA has been unable to:
The continuous growth of the WNBA is evident. The survey showed that the WNBA is attracting 63% of women’s sports fans. Comparably, the NBA draws 51% of the men’s sports fans. The reason is:
The WNBA doesn’t face steep competition from a dominant sport like the NFL.
The Caitlin Clark effect is evident from the attendance surge at the Fever’s game.
The broadcasters have added more games to their schedule.
Interestingly, the LPGA, women’s professional golf, presents a different story. Nelly Korda, the current World No.1 golfer, won five consecutive events, including a major last year. A historic feat matching the record of Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05). Yet, the recent survey shows LPGA attracted only 19-20% of fan attention. Primarily because of three reasons:
LPGA tournaments are often run on tape delay or prioritized over the men’s tournament.
LPGA has not marketed its top stars the way the WNBA has.
Unlike the WNBA, the LPGA has failed to capture Gen-Z’s attention via social media.
When is @GolfChannel going to show the @LPGA tour championship live and not tape delay??? @CMEGroupLPGA #frustrating
— Stacy Lewis (@Stacy_Lewis) November 16, 2018
So, whereas the WNBA has witnessed 5% growth among women’s sports fans in the U.S (58% in 2024 to 63% in 2025), the LPGA has remained stagnant (18% in 2024 and 2025). Similarly, the Parity report shows that women’s tennis enjoys a higher share of fandom (33%) among women’s sports fans than men’s tennis does among men’s sports fans (13%). But in the case of LPGA, that’s the opposite (18% vis-a-vis 21%).
Interestingly, the LPGA is the only women’s league that has an almost even distribution among all parts of the country. Unlike the WNBA, which has a stronger presence in the Midwest, or WTA, which is more dominant in the Northeast and the West, LPGA doesn’t have a specific area where it has more fans compared to others.
While that’s one part of the story, the other part says that golf is also witnessing a steep competition from emerging sports leagues.
The newer leagues are gaining momentum
The Parity report shows:
Baseball/ softball and hockey see much higher traction among men’s sports fans than among women’s sports fans.
A significantly higher share of fandom for women’s soccer and women’s tennis than for the men’s equivalents among male sports fans.
In fact, Unrivaled 3×3 has grown in popularity despite the WNBA establishing a strong foothold.
The report also predicts that the headwind will continue in the next few years.
MLB has invested in Athletes Unlimited’s new softball league.
PWHL’s inaugural season turnover left investors Mark and Kimbra Walter ‘ecstatic’.
League One Volleyball (LOVB) has secured $100M in investment.
Sponsors are also on board with the new leagues as they continue to gain momentum. The survey found that, on average, 24% women’s sports fans agree that sponsorship of women’s sports influences their purchasing decision positively. Furthermore,:
Even among men who don’t watch women’s sports, 58% think that female athletes believe in the products they promote.
78%, and 38% women who watch women’s sports are even aware of sponsors in Apparel and Health & Beauty, respectively.
41% and 25% of men who watch women’s sports are aware of sponsorship by Restaurants and Banking & Financial Services (25% vs 17%), respectively.
Fans are also eager to see more sponsorships from technology, retail, and travel companies. This provides an opportunity for brands to partner with teams and athletes to boost their presence among the younger generation. Even among fans who don’t follow women’s sports regularly, it leaves a positive impact. That’s the biggest takeaway from brands.
The post WNBA Soars, LPGA Stalls: The Surprising Shift in Women’s Sports appeared first on EssentiallySports.
