Parity Reveals a “Silver Lining” for Athletes and Brands through Support of Women’s Sports… 
7 mins read

Parity Reveals a “Silver Lining” for Athletes and Brands through Support of Women’s Sports… 

Leela Srinivasan, CEO of Parity, the platform that connects female athletes with brands, discusses some key takeaways from the organization’s latest study, “Beyond the Game: Exposing the Economic Realities of Professional Women Athletes.” Based on real data from 500 professional women athletes across 55 sports, she warns that, sadly, the study does not make for comfortable reading.

For example:

  • 50% of the professional women athletes interviewed do not earn any income from their sport once they’ve paid for training and competing. 
  • 64% have considered dropping out of their sport due to finances.
  • 74% also work outside of sport, and 1 in 4 works full-time on top of 22+ hours a week of training. 

However, Leela Srinivasan has found a silver lining. (And Marketers can help transform these disturbing statistics into success stories.)

“Brands have a unique opportunity to change the game for women athletes. The data are striking:

88% of athletes say a $20,000 sponsorship would be ‘very meaningful’ or ‘life-changing.’

Brands that invest even this very affordable amount not only elevate women’s sports but also elevate themselves as advocates in a growing movement. This is an unprecedented time to make an impact and build brand loyalty.”

…Leela Srinivasan. CEO of Parity

KEY FINDINGS

Parity’s “Beyond the Game” research revealed both challenges and opportunities. As visibility for women’s sports rises, there’s an exciting chance to uplift the economic landscape for professional women athletes. While many currently earn less than a living wage and shoulder their own training and travel costs, these numbers highlight an urgent opportunity to drive meaningful support and impact.

Again, 88% of the athletes surveyed said a $20,000 annual brand partnership would be “very meaningful” or “life-changing.” This fact, combined with earlier Parity data on sports fandom and the influence of pro women athletes (see below), means that brands of all shapes and sizes can capitalize on the immense appeal of pro women athletes while knowing that they are helping to solve a glaring issue in sports. 

Sponsorship doesn’t just benefit athletes; it offers brands a chance to connect meaningfully with an expanding, engaged audience.


DOWNLOAD THE “BEYOND THE GAME” STUDY


Leela Srinivasan believes that women’s sports have moved from “having a moment” to being mainstream. She emphasizes, “Brands that don’t forge partnerships with women athletes are missing a massive opportunity.”

To learn more from Leela Srinivasan about this groundbreaking research on Women’s Sports, watch the video interview on Internationalist Marketing TV (IMTV) on YouTube by CLICKING HERE.

Subscribe FREE to Internationalist Marketing TV on YouTube to get notifications of new videos.

 In our conversation, we discuss the following:

  • Let’s start by discussing some milestones in women’s sports this year…
  • Could you tell us a little about why you conducted this research now?
  • What are the key takeaways? Any surprises?
  • Sponsorship really comes through as critical… let’s discuss what that means— regarding types of sponsorships, supporting individual athletes vs. teams, other endorsements, or influencer opportunities.
  • You also have research demonstrating that women athletes are trusted spokespeople or endorsers. Could you tell us about that?
  • What brands are doing a good job supporting women athletes?
  • And what’s next for women’s sports… and for Parity.
  • Finally, what’s next for you and Parity?

Listen to Leela Srinivasan discuss how brands have a tremendous opportunity to forge partnerships with women athletes and to The Internationalist’s entire Trendsetters podcast series here on iHeartRadio’s Spreaker or wherever you download your podcasts.

MORE STATISTICS FROM “BEYOND THE GAME”

In a survey of 500 pro athletes who competed in 2023, 58% reported making $25,000 or less that year; half made no money from endorsements. At the same time, 41% said they paid at least $10,000 to play their sport, with costs including travel, training, coaching, and equipment. Eight percent of respondents spent more than $50,000 to compete. Tennis, figure skating, and race car driving were the most expensive sports.

Seventy-four percent of athletes surveyed said they had a job outside their sport, and 63% said they worked while their sport was in season. In qualitative responses, athletes spoke about how challenging that can be: “My training schedule makes it very difficult to keep a job that can cover personal expenses,” one athlete said. Sixty-four percent of female athletes surveyed said they’ve considered leaving their sport because of finances.

Endorsements are frequently proposed as a solution while salaries remain low; in Caitlin Clark’s case, her $76,000 on-court earnings are dwarfed by multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals.

WOMEN ATHLETES ARE SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCERS

Earlier research from Parity and SurveyMonkey, From Moment to Mainstream: What Consumers in 7 Countries Really Think About Women’s Sports, demonstrates the power of professional women athletes.

  • Women athletes are trusted more as influencers than male athletes and other influencers.
  • 88% agreed that professional women athletes are “somewhat” or “highly” impactful role models for young women.

Respondents who watch women’s sports daily or weekly are 3.5 more likely to buy a product promoted by a female athlete than another type of influencer. Respondents overall are more than twice as likely to buy a product promoted by a woman athlete over another influencer.

About Parity

Minority-founded in 2020, Parity is a sports marketing and sponsorship platform dedicated to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports. By developing high-impact collaborations between brands, professional women athletes and their fans, Parity has proudly put millions of dollars in the pockets of women athletes, attracting dozens of brands to the movement in the process. The platform connects brands like Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, AdventHealth and Superfeet to more than 1,000 women athletes from 75+ sports, including well over 250 Olympians and Paralympians. For more information on how to tap into the rapidly rising influence and popularity of women athletes, visit https://paritynow.co or follow us

About Leela Srinivasan

Leela Srinivasan took the reins as CEO in May 2023, when Parity had amassed a network of over 800 women athletes and paid out over $2 million in sponsorships. Under her leadership, the company is poised to increase both numbers exponentially – and become a household name – as it enters its next phase in the fight against gender pay disparity in sports.


Prior to joining Parity, Leela served as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for three-high-growth companies: digital payments provider Checkout.com; Momentive, the maker of SurveyMonkey; and recruiting software company Lever. She developed her initial passion for community, customer centricity and data-driven marketing earlier in her marketing career at LinkedIn and OpenTable. She serves on the board of Upwork and on the board of advisors for the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where she earned her MBA.