Insights

The Conversation: Women in sports are winning on Twitter

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Twitter is where fans connect about all sports (because men’s leagues are only the half of it).

Twitter is where sports fans connect and rally around their favourite athletes and leagues. And this year, more of those fan favorites are women. So let's hear what the talk on Twitter has to say about the women’s sports conversation.

The crowd on Twitter goes wild for women’s sports

If the games in Tokyo showed us anything, it’s that people on Twitter are excited about competitors that are women. And the proof is in their Tweets: 4 of the 5 most Tweeted about athletes were women.1

And this trend has been happening for some time

The loud (and proud) support for women in sports isn’t new to Twitter. The fanbase for female athletes has been growing for years, across sports and leagues.

This audience may surprise you

Women on Twitter aren’t the only vocal supporters of women in sports. In fact, over half the people Tweeting about women’s sports leagues are men.2 And across genders, most of these fans skew young (< 24 years old). Additionally, there’s been a +7% increase in participation among female Twitter users in this conversation — aligned with the trend of greater female athlete representation.3

And they have many other interests, too

From reality TV to technology, women’s sports fans show interest in lots of other topics. How do we know this? It’s clear from the variety of other topics they’re more likely than other Twitter users to Tweet about (hint: your brand’s audience is here).

Heads up: this conversation leads to good things overall

Conversations about gender equality, female representation, and women’s accomplishments have grown +64% YoY within the sports conversation. If your brand is looking to connect to positive conversations, look no further.

People on Twitter rally behind women in sports. Is your brand in the game?

Women in sports are being celebrated and supported on Twitter, and their diverse fanbase is continuing to grow. Is your brand ready to score big with this audience?

@OG_lilolive "watching all these women kick ass in the Olympics is peak hot girl shit and i'm here for it'

1Twitter Internal Data (Semantic Core). Tweets from July 23 - August 9, 2021. Global.

2Twitter Internal Data (Semantic Core). Tweets from August 1, 2020 - August 1, 2021. US only. 

3Twitter Internal Data (Semantic Core). Comparing Tweets from August 1, 2019 - August 1, 2020 to Tweets from August 1, 2020 - August 1, 2021. US only.