This post was created in partnership with Scripps
Women’s sports are on the rise, with professional leagues taking off across a variety of sports that go beyond soccer and basketball. Major League Volleyball (MLV) and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), for instance, are gaining popularity and offering brands new partnership opportunities.
During an ADWEEK House Advertising HQ fireside chat co-hosted with Scripps, Ryan Joe, editor-in-chief at ADWEEK, sat down with Oliver Gray, VP of network sports and client partnerships at Scripps, and Molly Battin, SVP and CMO of The Home Depot, to talk about why brands should enter the world of women’s sports and how they can engage the growing fan base.
Believing in the power of women’s sports
Gray opened the panel by sharing Scripps’ portfolio of women’s sports offered through its network, ION Television. These include the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), MLV, and the PWHL.
According to Gray, the strategy is to invest in women’s sports across the board.
“The acquisitions started with research, understanding fandom, and understanding how to grab eyeballs,” Gray said. “Research showed that the women’s sports audience needed more broadcast distribution of their games, and that this audience was ravenous about their sport.”
Battin added that brands will find opportunities to connect with audiences because the culture around women’s sports is just beginning.
“One of the exciting things about women’s sports is the rituals that have yet to be created,” Battin explained. “That’s where brands can lean in because there are so many new teams and there’s such a movement.”
Reaching the right audience
Battin shared how The Home Depot’s campaign with the FIFA World Cup 2026 originated by considering its target audience: the next generation of homeowners across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.
“The World Cup was in all our key cities and major markets, so we could focus on fandom and fan experiences. It really fit how we think about sports because we don’t think of it as just a sponsorship,” Battin explained.
During the FIFA World Cup 2026, The Home Depot partnered with David Beckham to create a backyard inspired by the retired professional soccer player. The brand anchored it to activations around North America, called FIFA Fan Festivals, which televised the soccer games and held soccer-related activities.
“It is no longer about just putting a spot out there. We have to think about the creative, the social storytelling, and the creators we partner with to tell those stories,” Battin said. “And then decide how we build out these activations to create emotional connections with our fans.”
Telling the stories of women athletes
While women’s sports have been around for decades, fandom has exploded in recent years, and Gray attributes it to storytelling. Through social media and other kinds of access, fans can connect with women athletes on a personal level and form deeper relationships than ever.
“If we continue telling compelling stories about our athletes in emerging leagues, we have the opportunity to really grow the sport,” Gray said.
Battin agreed, adding that brand support is also crucial.
“People want to support women’s sports, and brands that are supporting them are going to get a lot of credit for that,” Battin said.
