Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1529031
THE YEAR IN TEAM SPORTS Bill Carter, who runs the NIL consulting firm Student-Athlete Insights, says there's still a few major "holdouts" prohibiting NIL action at high schools, notably Texas, with more student athletes than any other state, and Ohio. However, he expects they'll eventually be allowed. A report last year from the Baird investment firm described NIL deals as a "game-changer" for team sports with the financial incentive being "a catalyst for early and continued participation for amateur athletes." Carter believes NIL deals have been a "net positive" for high school sports, although the big potential payback is largely at the college level. Carter says: "At the high school level, very, very few students are going to make a significant amount of money. ey're going to make an amount of money in line with, say, a part time job or a summer job." Editorial comment: Yet the impact is undeniable and will only become more of a factor in youth sports. Can the day of a 10-year-old getting his own pizza deal be far away? 8. Caitlin Clark Puts Spotlight on Women's Sports e "Caitlin Clark Effect" propelled the 2024 national championship to become the most-watched game in women's college basketball history. She then lied the WNBA to finish with its highest attendance in 22 years. e WNBA Rookie of the Year continues to rack up records and praise, including Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman describing her as a "generational" talent for the game of women's basketball, likening Clark to Michael Jordan's impact on men's basketball and Tiger Woods' on golf. Other signs of women's sports breaking out include: • In early September, the National Women's Soccer League's (NWSL) announced that regular-season attendance had surpassed 1.5 million, breaking the previous record of 1.4 million with seven weeks of regular-season play to go. • On September 22, the first-ever regular-season women's volleyball match shown on ABC, between Nebraska and Louisville, drew 684,000 viewers, marking the most-watched volleyball game on any ESPN platform. A study from e Sports Innovation Lab concluded the women's sport merchandise market is worth an estimated $4 billion annually, but supply is falling short of demand. An accompanying survey found 79 percent of women's sports fans would purchase more women's sports merchandise if more options were available. To drive home the point, Angela Ruggiero, co-founder of the Sports Innovation Lab and gold medalist in ice hockey, said in a statement: "Women's sports are the best value investment a brand can make right now. Fans are starved for options and are willing and able to spend with the companies that show up authentically as part of the community." Editorial comment: And stay tuned for the March/April issue of Team Insight, which has been focused annually on women's and girls' sports for more than a decade. Talk about ahead of the curve! 7. Olympics Shine as Team Sports Promoter Merci beaucoup Paris! e Summer Olympics saw an 82 percent surge in U.S. viewership as compared to the Tokyo Olympics, boosted by the return of spectators aer pandemic-related restrictions, Simone Biles' comeback and scenic Paris backdrops. e 17-day event tallied the highest viewers since the 2012 London Olympics. Among the events delivering record-breaking ratings: • e U.S. men's basketball team win over France averaged 19.5 million viewers, ranking as the most-watched gold medal game since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. • e U.S. women's national soccer team's victory over Brazil averaged approximately nine million viewers, the most-watched gold medal soccer game since the 2004 Athens Olympics. • e U.S. women's gymnastics team final averaged 12.7 million viewers, an all-time high for a daytime Olympics event and more than any single game of the 2024 NBA Finals. e rebound in viewership eased concerns that the Olympics were losing relevance with poor ratings also seen at recent Winter Olympics. e games offer a rare opportunity to highlight some sports generally receiving scant coverage. A survey of U.S. adults taken in July from research firm Numerator found the top five sports viewers planned to watch were gymnastics (75 percent), swimming (60 percent), track and field (39 percent), diving (37 percent) and volleyball (25 percent). Editorial comment: Baseball/soball were one of five additional sports 14 • Team Insight ~ November/December 2024 Photo: John Mac/www.flickr.com/photos/johnmac612/53944902217/ teaminsightmag.com Caitlin Clark was the driving force behind increased interest in women's sports in 2024.