The Hidden Problem in Women's Football
Plus how sports could save streaming companies and Puma makes two major plays in football.
Anyone that has attempted to run for the bus in dress shoes and a suit knows a fundamental truth about sports…equipment matters.
That’s exactly why Red Bull spend millions fine-tuning every aspect of their Formula 1 car and Nike takes years experimenting with different materials to save marathon runners a few milliseconds.
It turns out that the right sports bra can also be important.
Research has shown that running in a poorly supportive bra shortens women’s strides by up to 4cm. Over the length of a marathon, this adds up to an extra mile!
In football, this could mean the difference between a perfect tackle and the opponent running free.
With the Women’s World Cup having just started, the humble sports bra will once again be playing a vital role on the biggest stage. So we decided to dive deeper and reveal how sports bras have become arguably the most influential piece of equipment in recent sporting history.
🍎 Sports Business Bites
🏆 The Women’s World Cup is one of the most anticipated sporting events of 2023, and advertisers have already started working hard to capitalize on the hype. So, what is the state of play?
Nike is the most active brand at this World Cup. The Swoosh has a total of 42 endorsement deals across teams and players. Adidas has exactly 36 active deals, while the biggest non-apparel sponsor is Visa with 19 deals.
The most sponsored player is Alex Morgan with 21 deals, while Alexia Putellas and Alisha Lehmann both have 11 deals.
Despite having fewer deals than Morgan, Alisha Lehmann is the early winner of this World Cup. Thanks to her 14m strong Instagram audience and high engagement levels, Lehmann can reportedly charge more than $300k per sponsored post (although this number seems a bit high).
A perfect example of Lehmann’s marketability can be seen from her collaboration with Adidas, which has seen more than 2 million engagements. That’s more than all of Nike’s player campaigns combined.
The rise of Lehmann and the overall hype around this World Cup is great news for Women’s football. The sport has always been held up in an unfair comparison with the Male game and sponsors have often struggled to justify partnerships. Lehmann and Adidas are proving that star power, and strong ROI, are just as true for Women as they are for Men.
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🎥 Hollywood is in chaos - and sports might come to the rescue.
Most of the industry's writers and actors have gone on strike and several major productions have ground to a halt. With neither side willing to budge on their demands, it looks like there will be some open slots on the TV schedule.
If only there was an unscripted form of entertainment that still had the dramatic and unpredictable storyline of a TV show or movie. Well, there is…sports!
According to former Netflix and Hulu executive Simon Gallagher, sports could play a vital role for TV and streaming companies in this uncertain time. Gallagher noted in a CNBC interview that live games and docuseries are ‘protected’ from strike action.
In some ways the timing is perfect. Netflix is dropping several new sports docs, while Apple is ready to stream Messi’s debut season in MLS. With little other content to promote, this sports content could reach a far wider audience than expected. This new exposure could convince streaming services to invest more in sports, a situation that would fuel a new boom in broadcasting rights…watch this space.
👟 The Boot Room
🇳🇱 Xavi Simons signs with Puma
After his recent performances PSV, and return to PSG, Xavi Simons has emerged as one of the hottest talents in European football.
After his deal with Adidas ended, New Balance was said to be in talks with the Dutchman, but it is in fact Puma that has secured the signature.
Simons will be a face of the Puma King Collection, a boot previously worn by Cruyff and Maradona.
⚽️ Puma to replace Nike as Premier League ball supplier
Xavi Simons isn’t Puma’s only new play in football. According to The Athletic, Puma has struck a lucrative deal to replace Nike as the ball supplier for the Premier League.
While this news has not been officially confirmed, reports suggest that Nike’s deal will expire in 2025, with Puma taking over. Nike’s almost 25-year partnership with the Premier League has resulted in some iconic balls. For Puma, this is yet another chance to increase its exposure at the expense of a rival. Whether that exposure is worth the money they spent is a different question.
📱 Social Media Madness
There are two big events happening this week…
Not Barbie and Oppenheimer…Messi’s MLS debut and the Women’s World Cup. With so much hype surrounding both events, there were perfect opportunities for some madness.
Over in Miami, the local mayor decided to use Messi’s arrival as an opportunity to boost his campaign for the Presidency of the United States. Francis Suarez offered two front-row tickets to Messi’s debut in a raffle that could be entered by contributing to his campaign fund. Considering that Suarez has just 0.1% of the Republican vote, it’s unlikely that even some Messi Magic can save his campaign.
Over at the Women’s World Cup, we have this intriguing advert:
This advert by French company Orange uses CGI to show clips of brilliant moments from Women’s football, with male footballers superimposed on top. The aim of the advert is to prove that Women’s football does in fact have the same level of skill and excitement as the Men’s game, but critical reactions are mixed. Some argue that it’s an odd move to promote the Women’s game using Male players, while others have praised the intention.
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