Final-Four NCAA Women Dominating at the Bank & on the Court
Pictured left to right: Stanford’s Haley Jones, and Paige Buecker of UCONN //Courtesy: ESPN
March was an iconic month for the N.C.A.A. as it was the beginning of a new era led by female basketball players. These empowered women are demanding change, and rightfully so. A tech company called, Opendorse, reveals statistics showing women's basketball players received the second-most endorsement money of any college athletes. Runner-up being men's basketball players. Before you pick your jaw up from the floor, let's deep dive into the facts.
"If you take football players out of the equation and look at how student-athletes are monetizing sponsors in this new world, women's sports athletes are crushing the men," said chief executive of Opendorse, Blake Lawrence.
So what's causing all the buzz? Incredibly talented women are, of course. Notable headliners in the N.C.A.A. like Haley Jones of Stanford and Paige Bueckers, a guard at UCONN, are reaping benefits from their stellar performance on the court. Buecker's collaboration with Gatorade including other sponsors has earned her over a whopping $1 million from endorsements alone. Jones has NIL deals with Bose and Black-owned Uncle Funky’s Daughter hair-care line.
Women’s basketball has evolved into a marketer’s dream. As social media erupts, it has become the easiest way to build a relationship between college athletes and marketers.
It's only just the beginning, as recently, the National Collegiate Athletic Association created an interim policy allowing college athletes to profit from their NIL. As a result, women's basketball made up 18.5% of overall NIL compensation.
Courtesy:ESPN
