Women's Sports Merch Is a $4 Billion Market, but Supply Isn't Meeting Demand
The women’s sports merchandise market is behind the men’s in three key ways: production volume, widespread licensing rights, and distribution both online and in-store, says Nicole O’Keefe, director of strategic partnerships at BreakingT, a small Washington, D.C.–based T-shirt retailer. This means companies rarely produce as much women’s sports merchandise in advance of seasons, and when a major moment hits, they often can’t turn out enough supply to address demand.
The gap between the men’s and women’s infrastructure “creates a glaring hole in the market. This applies mostly to the higher price-point items that drive a halo effect, like uniforms and outerwear,” O’Keefe tells FOS. “They have a lot of marketing behind them; they’re highly visible. When the jersey reveals happen, it hypes people up and they get excited to shop for merch in general.”
Fanatics has a massive stake in the women’s sports apparel market, with long-term Nike licensing partnerships across both professional and college sports gear. They tell FOS they’ve seen significant growth in the category this year, particularly on the heels of the NCAA women’s tournament and Women’s College World Series as well as the surging WNBA viewership. Kimberly Alula, Fanatics SVP of merchandising, says the company has already sold five times as much WNBA merchandise as it had this time last year, and it is “working closely with leagues and vendor partners to add new products as fan demand soars.”
Nike has begun introducing additional options, too. On July 10, the brand announced the U.S. Women’s National Team Reissue Collection, a 25th anniversary rerelease of the kit worn by the 1999 World Cup–winning USWNT—the same iconic jersey Brandi Chastain ripped off after the final whistle sounded victory on home turf.
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