Observed Signal · Sep 18, 2026 · Feature Story · Source: Digiday · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Women athletes embrace creator playbook for income and growth
Women athletes are increasingly adopting creator strategies to supplement income and build their personal brands, driven by the growth of women's sports yet persistent pay gaps. Companies like Togethxr, co-founded by athletes, offer programs such as the Snap the Gap cohort with Snapchat, providing production resources and mentorship. Participants, including soccer player Michelle Alozie and gymnast Kyrstina Johnson, saw significant follower growth on Snapchat. This creator approach not only supports athletes during their careers but also prepares them for life after sports. The trend is supported by rising viewership and revenue in women's sports, with leagues like the PWHL and NWSL reporting increased YouTube engagement. Athletes also leverage social media to secure non-sport brand partnerships, as exemplified by Sarah Nurse's beauty content.
Highlights the intersection of sports, creator economy, and women's sports growth, with relevance to influencer marketing and brand partnerships, but is not a major industry shift.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Togethxr's Snap the Gap cohort with Snapchat helped seven women athletes grow their Snapchat audiences; Michelle Alozie grew 61% to 204,000 followers.
- Elite women's sports are projected to reach $3 billion in revenue in 2026, a 25% increase year-over-year (Deloitte).
- The PWHL reported a 77% year-over-year increase in YouTube viewership, and the NWSL reported 42%.
- A WPP study found that ads on live women's sports deliver 20% better results than non-sports cable TV.
- Athletes like Sarah Nurse reinvest social media income into training, and the Snap the Gap program included a partnership with e.l.f. Cosmetics.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Their Snap the Gap cohort, which is now in its second year, is a partnership with Snapchat that gives women athletes production resources an...”
“Deloitte reported in April that elite women's sports will reach $3 billion in matchday, broadcast, and commercial revenue.”
“A recent study from WPP found that ads on live women's sports deliver 20% better results compared to standard cable programming.”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Female Athletes Redefine Brand Value
A live Marketecture panel in New York City brought together founders of Always Alpha (Cosette Chaput, Allyson Felix, Wes Felix) and Zoe Ruderman of ADWEEK to discuss how female athletes are changing brand strategy, storytelling, and ROI. Panelists argued women’s sports is a high-growth, compounding-ROI opportunity that traditional, male‑focused sports marketing models fail to capture. Key themes: athlete-driven, long-term storytelling outperforms templated influencer tactics; female athletes often deliver higher engagement and trust despite smaller followings; brands must invest beyond headline events (e.g., LA28) and broaden ecosystem support to avoid top-heavy, unsustainable investment. Categories like beauty and retail lead adoption while finance and automotive lag.
Brands Still Underinvesting in Women's Sports — $1 Trillion
Adweek’s Adspeak podcast episode, hosted by Zoë Ruderman, examines why brands underinvest in women’s sports despite strong consumer response. Guests Allyson Felix, Wes Felix and Cosette Chaput (co‑founders of Always Alpha; Allyson and Wes are also associated with Saysh) discuss data-backed signals such as a cited 2.8x purchase‑intent gap, the need to reframe KPIs away from vanity metrics, and the power of authentic storytelling and athlete-first partnerships. The conversation covers Allyson Felix’s transition from a Nike sponsorship to founding Always Alpha, how bundling athletes can reduce individual impact, and why the LA 2028 Olympics could be a tipping point for brand investment in female athletes.
DOOH Opportunities in Women’s Sports
The article (and accompanying The Big Story podcast episode) discusses rising viewership in women’s sports and growing interest from publishers, advertisers and tech vendors to capitalize on that momentum via channels like digital out-of-home (DOOH). It highlights the Women’s Sports Index — created by sports agency Deep Blue and data analytics platform Mondo Metrics — as a tool for brands to track engagement and purchase intent. Examples cited include Sweetgreen running ads via Atmosphere TV during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Blacksheep using digital billboards to criticize Google, and HelloFresh running AI-driven creative on Times Square digital billboards. The piece frames women’s sports fans as community-driven and different from men’s sports fans.
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