Women's Sports Wave
david gabeau@david
+3.3%
since Oct 1
The idea
I believe women's sports are compounding for years, not just a moment, so I built a basket that cashes in on it rather than betting on any one league or team. It spans five layers: apparel and athlete brands, ticketing and live events, youth participation, media rights, and fan engagement and betting, tilted toward smaller names where the growth actually moves results, balanced by a few giants for steadiness. I keep about 8% in cash to add on dips, and I'd rethink this if the underlying attendance, viewership, and sponsorship trends actually stalled out.
What it owns
- Shoe and apparel brands are signing women athletes and building product lines around them, and the winners gain market share. · NikeIt signs the biggest women athletes and is building entire product lines around them, positioning itself to capture growth in women's sports apparel and footwear., On HoldingIt is winning women runners and athletes as customers in shoes and apparel, and that customer growth actually moves its overall growth rate., Deckers OutdoorIts Hoka brand has a strong women's running base, and rising women's running participation expands its core customer count., Lululemon AthleticaIt built its business on women's athletic wear, so more women and girls playing and training means more of its exact customer base.20%
- Record attendance at women's games flows straight through ticket sellers, promoters and arena owners. · Live Nation EntertainmentIts Ticketmaster division collects fees on every women's sports ticket sold, so record attendance at WNBA and NWSL games flows directly into its revenue., TKO Group HoldingsIts UFC and WWE have made women fighters and wrestlers genuine headliners who sell out arenas and drive pay-per-view buys., Vivid SeatsIt is a resale marketplace that benefits when demand for WNBA and NWSL tickets outruns supply and pushes fans to the secondary market., Madison Square Garden EntertainmentIt owns venues that host the sold-out women's events driving this take, including WNBA playoff runs, so more women's dates at higher prices means more revenue.19%
- Sportsbooks, data providers and game makers are adding women's leagues, turning new fans into recurring revenue. · Flutter EntertainmentIts FanDuel sportsbook is adding women's leagues to its betting menu as fan interest grows, creating a new revenue stream from WNBA and NWSL wagers., DraftKingsIt has called out WNBA betting as one of its fastest-growing categories, so expanding women's sports audiences translate directly into more bets and revenue., Genius SportsIt supplies the official data that makes betting on women's leagues possible, so every new women's league that goes live on sportsbooks runs through its infrastructure., SportradarIt sells data feeds and integrity services to leagues and sportsbooks, and women's leagues signing coverage deals adds directly to its business.18%
- More girls playing sports means more gear, team fees and equipment bought at the retailers and manufacturers that serve youth leagues. · Dick's Sporting GoodsIt is where families buy gear when girls sign up for sports, so surging youth participation shows up in its registers., Amer SportsIts Wilson brand makes the balls and racquets more girls are picking up as youth participation surges, so equipment sales tied to that growth are a real slice of its business., Academy Sports and OutdoorsIt sells affordable youth sports gear, so families outfitting daughters on a budget shop there as participation expands into value-priced households.18%
- Women's sports viewership is growing fast and the networks and streamers that hold the broadcast rights get paid as it does. · The Walt Disney CompanyIts ESPN division holds the biggest women's sports rights deals, including the WNBA, so expanding viewership grows ESPN's audience and advertising revenue., NetflixIt has started paying real money for live women's sports events, betting they draw subscribers to its platform., ComcastIts NBC division carries the Olympics and a growing slate of women's leagues across its networks and Peacock, capturing ad dollars from rising audiences., E.W. ScrippsIt is small enough that its women's sports broadcasts, especially WNBA games on ION, actually move its financial results.18%
- Cash8%