Following, watching, and attending: Fandom of women's sport in the UK and USA
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Women's sport has made rapid progress in visibility, and audiences for women's sport are growing. Yet little is known about who women's sport fans are, nor which sports are most popular. This article addresses this gap by leveraging data from two surveys conducted in 2023 and 2024 with adults in the USA ( N = 2032) and the UK ( N = 2302) to present a descriptive demographic profile of those who follow, watch, and attend elite-level women's sporting events. We examine age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, and family structure across a variety of women's sports. Of the women's sports measured, the most consumed in the USA include Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college basketball, National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) soccer, Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tennis, and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) golf, while most consumed sports in the UK include Women's World Cup and WSL soccer (football), women's test and T20 cricket, and WTA tennis. Men, nonwhite respondents, those with higher education and income, and individuals with children are the most likely to engage with women's sport, while national differences emerged by age and sexual orientation. These results challenge some of the prevailing assumptions about women's sport audiences. They also offer foundational insights which can help to advance gender equality through broadening the reach of women's sport.
Authors: Rachel Allison, Adam Gemar, Stacey Pope
Language: English
Topic: Sports, Gender, and Society
Subfield: Gender Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4416453650