The role of advocacy in women’s sport: A smart business decision?

By Dunja Antunovic, University of Minnesota with Katie Lebel, University of Guelph; Nancy Lough, UNLV; Ceyda Mumcu, University of New Haven; Ann Pegoraro, University of Guelph; Nicole LaVoi, University of Minnesota; and Kim Soltis, University of Minnesota

Women’s sport in the United States continues to break attendance numbers, set new viewership records, increase social media engagement, and sell out merchandize. Athletes, teams, and sponsors are also speaking out on social issues and taking a stance on issues of race, gender, and LGBTQ+ rights. While athlete activism in the United States continues to receive (well-deserved) scholarly attention, we still have more to learn about how professional women’s sport organizations engage in advocacy.

We know from industry reports and previous studies that digital disruptions are driving a “new model” for the promotion of women’s sport. Further, purpose-themed posts that address social issues can enhance fan engagement, if employed strategically. What does advocacy look like on women’s sport organizations’ social media platforms? Further, which factors drive advocacy?

With the support of our Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grant, we were able to gather social media data to examine the overall objectives of women’s sport organizations’ social media platforms and analyze advocacy-related messaging. In addition, we asked staff members in communications-related roles how they perceived the role of advocacy in women’s sport.

We found that advocacy is not one of the primary objectives of social media, but social media are integral for advocacy. Our studies, building upon previous literature and industry reports, identified – at least – three key “drivers” of advocacy:

1) Fans care about social issues and expect women’s sport organizations to take a stand
2) Sponsors are invested in supporting initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
3) Athletes committed to individual causes and prompt their teams to promote these causes on social media

However, it is clear that advocacy stances vary and challenges still remain, especially for emerging women’s sport organizations that still lack media visibility.

Corporate social advocacy on social media

In our first study, published in the Women’s in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, we collected social media data of the 2021 season to first examine how women’s sport organizations use their Twitter accounts. We focused on the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) because the league led collective activism on racial justice issues and even engaged in political campaigns in 2020.

We found that teams in the WNBA created standalone original posts that raised awareness about social issues or even called for legislative action – although the volume of posts and the type of initiatives varied depending on the organizations.

The teams’ Twitter accounts integrated advocacy-related messaging in posts that fulfilled other objectives, such as fundraising/sales to support local businesses, in-game promotions, and community engagement event.

Opportunities and challenges for advocacy in women’s sport

In our second study, which is accepted to an edited collection titled Media, Women, and the Transformation of Sport: From Title IX to NIL (Routledge, under contract) edited by Pamela J. Creedon and Laura A. Wackwitz, we used a questionnaire and conducted interviews with eight staff members total who worked for various women’s sport organizations in multiple sports in the United States.

Based on staff members’ perspectives, industry data, and scholarly literature, we identified three approaches to advocacy:

1) Business case
2) Relationship-building
3) Social change

Each of these approaches carries opportunities and challenges.

The first approach considers advocacy as integral for the growth of women’s sport. Specifically, staff members noted the importance of advocacy in engaging fans and sponsors. This perspective makes a business case for investing in women’s sport. However, structural inequalities persist between the leagues and within the leagues in terms of investment and staff.

The second approach follows tenets of corporate social advocacy whereby social media advocacy serves a relationship-building function with stakeholders. This approach considers both the business imperatives and the potential of CSA to support social justice efforts. Some staff members perceived advocacy as a balancing act in relation to other social media objectives and stakeholders’ expectations. Corporate social advocacy requires careful planning.

The third approach considers advocacy as an integral communication function aligned with organizations’ values. In other words, because the existence of women’s sport is disruptive in a male-dominated space, women’s sport organizations inherently operate from an advocacy position. From this perspective, women’s sport organizations have the responsibility to take a stand on social issues. However, advocacy can also elicit online backlash and resistance from fans.

Women’s sport organizations might take on any of these or multiple approaches when engaging with advocacy.

Future directions

Our findings indicate that – at least in some cases – advocacy for women’s sport organizations can be integrated with business opportunities, especially in relation to fan engagement and sponsorship.

However, a broader scope is needed to evaluate public responses to advocacy depending on the sport, league, team, issue, and local context. Future studies should also examine the ethical implications and the impact of women’s sport organizations’ initiatives on local communities.

For further information on this research, please email Antunovic at dunjaant@umn.edu. This project is supported by the 2021 Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grant on corporate social advocacy.