As legal sports betting begins to spread across the US, there are several changes to the athletics industry sure to follow. The most significant change to keep one’s eye on is the relevance of women’s sports.
Women’s sports have been historically excluded from major TV placements and sponsorships. This is largely due to the perceived novelty of women’s sports and waning viewership. With the national sentiment moving in favor of sports betting, this could be the chance the female athletes have been waiting for.
The prospect of sports betting takes an otherwise individual experience and turns it into a social event. Sports betting turns casual fans into dedicated supporters. In this way, spectators tune in for the whole sports season as opposed to just the championships.
Regarding the declining state of women’s sports, inserting a wager just may be the fix.
Big Deals Are a Big Deal!
The Phoenix Mercury, an Arizona WNBA team, recently signed a 15-year contract with sports betting conglomerate Bally’s Corporation. The deal is worth $66 million. The Phoenix Mercury is one of the first women’s sports teams to be offered and signed to a sportsbook sponsorship.
It is not as if women’s sports weren’t bet on in the past. They were, but women’s sports never received the same marketing nor compensation as men’s sports. This sponsorship deal not only helps legitimize the image and value of women’s sports but also provides viewers with an incentive to tune in.
Now that the paperwork has been signed and the publications have been informed, the team will have to await sports betting licensure from the state of Arizona before Bally’s can kickstart their gambling operations.
Sportsbook Expansion
Although the Bally Corporation deal is taking place in the WNBA, many expect to see an expansion of sports betting sponsorships across the whole of women’s sports. This sentiment is already spreading, as BetMGM recently announced its partnership with the Ladies Professional Golf Association.
There is already chatter regarding these types of sponsorships in the National Women’s Hockey League and National Women’s Soccer League.
Because the US National Women’s Soccer Team brought home the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, it would be unsurprising to see them take on one of these sponsorships within the next few months.
Betting for the Better
Bally’s partnership with the Mercury is the biggest in the history of women’s sports. This is a move towards progress, not just for gender equality in sports, but for the communities hosting these athletic events.
The Phoenix Mercury hopes to use the sponsorship to promote diversity and inclusion across all sports and will be donating additional proceeds to youth basketball programs.
