Women’s professional sports see growth in community impact and commercial value

Professional women’s sports leagues are seeing significant growth in both community engagement and commercial value. In the United States, players from the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) recently hosted a free clinic in Duluth, Minnesota. The event aimed to provide mentorship and fundamental skills training to young girls, with organizers noting the importance of providing visible professional role models to lower barriers to entry for the sport.

In India, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) has established itself as a premier franchise-based T20 cricket league. Since its inception in 2023, the tournament has seen massive increases in viewership and sponsorship. The media rights for the WPL were sold for $116 million, making it the second-most expensive women’s league in terms of media rights, trailing only the WNBA in the United States.