Last week, collegiate NIL platform Opendorse dropped some data that really caught my attention. They laid out why brands might want to rethink how they approach women athletes in the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) game.
Despite getting a smaller chunk of the money, women athletes are making waves in this space. They’re not just more active on social media—they’re actually beating their male peers in several NIL deal metrics.
The Current State of NIL Deals for Women Athletes
Opendorse says only 8% to 12% of House vs. NCAA settlement payments go to women athletes across more than a dozen programs. That’s about $2 million out of a possible $20.5 million.
Still, women athletes are showing some real muscle in the NIL market. There’s a sense that the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Engagement and Professionalism
Women athletes sent in 32.2% of the 500,000 NIL deal applications on Opendorse’s platform. If you take football out of the mix, that number jumps to 43.8%—which is kind of wild, honestly.
Plus, their profiles are 2.8% more optimized than the guys’, which says a lot about how seriously they’re taking this. There’s a clear drive and professionalism here that’s easy to overlook.
Social Media Presence
Nearly half—48.9%—of Division I women athletes are on TikTok. Compare that to 34.6% of male athletes, and you start to see the difference.
Before this year’s March Madness, women’s basketball players had a following more than three times the size of the men’s side. That’s 21.7 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and X. Not exactly small potatoes.
Case in Point: LSU Star Flau’jae Johnson
LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson is a perfect example. She’s got a whopping 4.01 million followers, leading all women college athletes.
Her reach is massive and really shows what brands could tap into if they partnered with the right women athletes.
Audience Demographics
College softball fans? They’re younger and more diverse than college baseball fans. About 82% of softball fans are under 34, and 28.6% are ethnically diverse.
Compare that to baseball, where just 42.9% are under 34 and only 16.8% are ethnically diverse. That’s a pretty big gap, and it feels like a missed opportunity for brands looking to connect with a fresh audience.
Regional Engagement
Brands are especially active in the South Atlantic region when it comes to NIL deals with women athletes. Last year, they spent $84.7 million there alone.
Big names like Ally are making moves in the ACC, especially in North Carolina and South Carolina. Southern schools as a whole pulled in $190.2 million from brands—way more than the Midwest, which saw $95.7 million.
Successful Campaigns
Some recent campaigns really stand out. Epsilon’s March Madness NIL deals, for example, celebrated Women’s History Month and brought in 22.9 million total media impressions.
That included 1.2 million impressions on Instagram, with a 51% impression rate on the platform. Not too shabby.
Savage x Fenty’s Campaign
Savage x Fenty also got creative. They teamed up with 106 athletes, who posted 356 times on social media and pulled in a 66.5% view rate.
These kinds of numbers show just how much brands can gain by working with women athletes. The engagement and reach are hard to ignore.
The Path Forward
Opendorse’s data makes one thing obvious: brands have a real shot at unlocking the potential of women college athletes. There’s just so much opportunity here, and it feels like more people are starting to notice.
Investing in these athletes isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s a chance to connect with a younger, more diverse crowd—something most brands are chasing anyway.
The NIL landscape keeps shifting, and women athletes are getting more of the spotlight. It’s hard not to wonder how much further this will go, but it’s already a pretty unique way for brands to get noticed.
Curious for more? You can check out the full article on Opendorse’s key insights on today’s women college athletes.
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