Why Doesn't Anyone Know What Women's Sports Fans Want?
After the failure of Sky Sports Halo and poor attempts to engage a younger audience, will brands learn what women are truly looking for in sports content this year?
The last few years have been monumental for women’s sports. Basketball and soccer have grown in popularity at exponential rates, athletes are finally being recognized worldwide for their efforts and leagues like the WSL, WNBA and NWSL have reached a level of cultural significance that many couldn’t even imagine just 10 years ago. The audience for women’s sports has always been primarily women, and while that is still the case, the industry has reached a crossroads – trying to appeal to a predominantly female fanbase whilst actively encouraging other demographics to engage authentically.
For major leagues and platforms, this shift in culture has been easier said than done. There never seems to be a proper balance between engaging a new audience and keeping the core fanbase happy. The pendulum always swings too far in one direction, creating awkward social moments and initiatives that don’t quite land the way they were intended to.
When it comes to building around the women that have built these fanbases and are in the stadiums and arenas week after week, the lack of understanding from most companies, clubs and leagues becomes evident. There is a disconnect between what women’s sports fans actually want from their content and matchday experiences, and what the people in the boardroom think they are looking for.
At times it comes across as infantilization of women in sports. Other times it is simply tone deafness from corporate suites, seeking a cash grab more than anything else. So, why doesn’t anyone know what these fans are looking for? If you spend any time online, engaging with fans of Arsenal Women, the Las Vegas Aces or San Diego Wave, it becomes increasingly clear what these fans want – for their favorite sports and teams to be treated the same way as their male equivalents.
When Sky Sports launched its Halo platform, it was marketed as a new go-to social media account for women – the “lil sis” of Sky Sports, to be exact. It is safe to say that the launch was a bust, shutting down after only three days. Whether intentional or not, Halo’s TikTok showed what Sky and many other companies truly think of women that are into sports. Rather than being informative and engaging like Sky Sports’ usual social media content, it was a misogynistic mockery of women with stereotypical peach and pink gradient branding.
Pulling random Gen Z catchphrases and trends from TikTok, Halo was less a sports channel and more of a poorly crafted amalgamation of “jokes” and memes that would have stayed in the drafts of even a casual sports fan’s account. There was a chance to create something unique for women’s sports fans, as they were clearly aiming to build around women’s soccer in the future. Instead, it was a massive failure that many would like to forget.
Only a few weeks later, when the Halo furore was just beginning to subside, TikTok became the site of another women’s soccer mishap. For some reason, the Women’s League Cup draw was hosted on TikTok Live by influencer GK Barry and her girlfriend, Portsmouth player Ella Rutherford. While jokes and funny commentary are common at a cup draw, they are meant to be taken seriously with no room for match fixing or any type of controversy that could affect the competition as a whole. Instead, the League Cup draw was marred by sexual innuendos, a rude joke about Tottenham Hotspur and a ball being dropped back into the bag before being pulled out again.
It was clear Barry did not know what was expected of her or even what she was meant to be doing. Whilst some of the blame must go on her, questions should be raised about who thought this was a good idea and why the duo wasn’t briefed on the basics and acceptable behavior. If it was the men’s League Cup draw, would this have ever made it out of the planning stage?
Brands, leagues and platforms always bring up the goal of appealing to Gen Z, but that shift towards the unprofessional never seems to happen in men’s sports when it comes to engaging the younger generation.
There is a widespread belief that men’s and women’s sports are two completely different entities and cannot be treated by the same hand. That belief creates the notion that women’s sports is alien to a major platform like Sky, leading to the idea that a “lil sis” media channel is needed rather than simply integrating women-specific content into their everyday production. In 2026, it’s time to let that notion go.
A big year for women’s sports lies ahead. Two new WNBA teams are making their debuts this season, the NWSL is bigger than ever, another Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is headed to Morocco and every sport is growing and drawing in new audiences. The growth of these leagues, especially newer ones like the Professional Women’s Hockey League, needs the support of the media and the people behind those platforms. If the ones in charge continue to view women’s sports as an anomaly or a rung below the men, that growth will continue to stagnate. It’s time for women’s sports fans to get the treatment – and content – they deserve, and 2026 is the perfect year for that shift to finally take place.
