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Women's college basketball is having a moment, and it's not just the star players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers or the coaches like Dawn Staley capitalizing on the historic spotlight.
In a rematch of last season's Final Four game, the University of South Carolina women's basketball team capped off their undefeated season last weekend with an 87 to 75 victory over the University of Iowa--and the country's top player Iowa's Clark--to secure a third national championship. On Sunday, the Gamecocks celebrated the redemption win with a hometown parade through the fan-packed streets of downtown Columbia, South Carolina. This season's other winners? Women's sports brands.
The streetwear brand Playa Society hosted a pop-up during the women's Final Four weekend for the second year in a row, and sales in Cleveland tripled, compared to last year's event in Dallas, says founder and designer Esther Wallace, who landed on the Inc. Female Founders list in 2023. Plus, a new design that launched for the event, a t-shirt emblazoned with the message, "If you are just now tuning into women's basketball, we told you so," sold out. That momentum continued even after Wallace closed up shop. The day after her event ended, online sales increased by 4x, compared to this time last year.
Playa Society is not the only clothing company enjoying a major boost thanks to women's college basketball. The $18 billion sports apparel company Fanatics is also reaping record sales. Fans have been buying national champion merchandise for the University of South Carolina women's basketball team at never-before-seen levels, according to the Jacksonville, Florida-based e-commerce company, which serves as the official retail partner for the university's athletic teams. That surge in demand has been enough to crown the Gamecocks with yet another title: the best-selling NCAA women's champion in company history.
In the first 24 hours after winning the national title, sales of South Carolina gear spiked 70 percent, compared to sales of national champion merchandise for Louisiana State University in 2023, which was also a record year at the time. The Gamecocks even bested themselves. Compared to the last time the team took home a national title in 2022, sales of South Carolina merchandise have skyrocketed 200 percent.
Before March Madness tipped off last month, companies told Inc. their gameplan: take advantage of the exponential growth of the women's tournament. Now, that bet is paying off. The women's NCAA championship attracted an unprecedented 18.9 million viewers, an audience that ourated the men's final for the first time ever. What's more, it bested the views of every other men's, women's, college, and professional basketball game over the past seven years.
Some skeptics have questioned whether this level of attention-and spending-on women's college basketball will survive past the graduation of Caitlin Clark, who has declared for the WNBA draft on Monday night and is projected to be the number one pick. But, her team, the Iowa Hawkeyes did not drive record sales, South Carolina did.
The Gamecocks became only the tenth college basketball team ever to achieve a perfect season, and they pulled off that feat after all five of their starters graduated. With a roster that includes freshmen like MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson, who both enjoyed star-making runs during the tournament, fans--and brands-- will have plenty to cheer for-and spend on-next season.
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With South Carolina's Championship Win, Women's Sports Brands Declare Victory
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16.04.2024
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Women's college basketball is having a moment, and it's not just the star players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers or the coaches like Dawn Staley capitalizing on the historic spotlight.
In a rematch of last season's Final Four game, the University of South Carolina women's basketball team capped off their undefeated season last weekend with an 87 to 75 victory over........
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