The Club partnered with USA Today, Altius Sports Partners and Impakt Partners on its NewFronts events, including a conversation between sports journalist Sarah Spain, football player Santia Deck, Sports Information Lab founder Angela Ruggerio and world motorcycle champion Mallory Dobbs; a panel featuring The Athletic senior soccer writer Meg Linehan, soccer freestylist Laura Biondo, two-time U.S. World Cup winner Tobin Heath and the national team’s players association’s executive director (and equal-pay champion) Becca Roux; and a talk between 13-year-old moderator Pepper Persley, former Las Vegas Aces player and Syd & TP Show star Theresa Plaisance and Sandra L. Richards, head of global sports and entertainment for Morgan Stanley.
‘Fish where the fish are’
The event’s presentations pitch women’s sports products but also dispelled many of its myths. As Waldhorn pointed out, recent viewership for women’s March Madness—including the record 18.9 million who tuned into ESPN for the final, eclipsing the men’s viewership by 4 million—found that men and women were watching in similar numbers. Not only have sports moved well beyond the point where the key demographic is males 18 through 24, but women’s sports can’t be defined as parents of teens playing youth sports.
Women’s sports fans aren’t bucketed into traditional personas, but Sports Innovation Lab’s data goes deep. For instance, it wants media buyers to know that they’re Toyota drivers or wireless customers who have subscribed to T-Mobile and AT&T more than Verizon. They have disparate interests and needs that should be addressed through multiple channels.
“There are media opportunities that brands should be buying into, but they should also be partnering with athletes in the NIL (name, image and likeness) space and social media, and then they should be investing in local teams,” Gotfredson said. “It’s not just about checking the box and buying your spots and your March Madness/Final Four—it’s about investing in the communities, investing in athletes and then telling stories through some longer-tail digital platforms.”
All of the above are making their pitch before an evolving array of curious brands. Waldhorn noted that the NewFront would be filled with brands that have been supportive of women’s sports from the beginning, including Google, Verizon and Ally, and also see newcomers such as Uber, automotive companies, quick service restaurant brands and cryptocurrency firms.
“That’s part of the reason why we decided to do this NewFront: Let’s fish where the fish are,” Waldhorn added. “You know where [brands] all show up ready to buy? Upfronts and NewFronts, so let’s bring that water to the horse and show him how delicious it is to drink.”