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Abstract

This research explores the promotion of women’s sports programs across Division I athletic departments by specifically looking at the strategies, barriers, and opportunities identified by practitioners. Interest in women’s sports is growing, in large part thanks to popular women athletes such as Caitlin Clark, Juju Watkins, and Olivia Dunne. Despite that growing interest and investment in women’s sports globally, women collegiate athletes still face significant disparities in funding, media coverage, and overall promotion compared to their counterparts who are men. The industry faces a unique pivot point with the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and the pending implications of the House v. NCAA case. Through qualitative interviews with 11 athletic administrators, the authors identified the following themes: (a) discrepancies in resource allocation, (b) conventional marketing strategies, (c) hidden labor burden on women sport coaches and athletes, and (d) opportunities for sustained growth. Using a distributive justice lens, this study offers practical implications for athletic administrators, including recommendations to implement more equitable resource allocation models and develop targeted marketing strategies that lead to sustained visibility and investment in women’s sports.

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