When Justine Siegal and Keith Stein envisioned the United States' first professional women's baseball league in 70 years, they wanted to do it right. So they examined the blueprints of successful women's leagues and studied the pitfalls that caused promising ventures to fail.
Their research helped shape the Women's Professional Baseball League, launching next year, the latest in a wave of ventures looking to capitalize on the unprecedented rise in popularity of women's sports.
For such a startup to be sustainable and profitable, mainstream recognition is key. Good salaries and financial incentives may attract star players who could draw crowds and all-important TV deals. But analysts warn that exposure on television doesn’t guarantee success, and that a solid social media presence, strong branding and community development are imperative — along with a dose of good luck.
At least eight women’s pro leagues have launched in the past three years, including the WPBL, Unrivaled — a fast-paced 3-on-3 women's basketball league that debuted this year — and the Professional Women's Hockey League, seizing on rising viewership, bigger sponsorship deals and a fan base more eager than ever to support female athletes. Basketball is leading the surge, with college standouts like Caitlin Clark becoming household names and drawing record audiences for the WNBA.
“There is a pipeline of women from around the world who are at the elite level and ready to showcase their abilities,” said WPBL co-founder Siegal, the first woman to coach an MLB team, the Oakland Athletics, "and there’s a fan base ready to watch and ready to receive and cheer them on.”
Basketball: the pinnacle of professional women's team sports
Among the recent women's pro circuit additions are the PWHL, which wrapped up its second season in May, and soccer’s Gainbridge Super League, which debuted last August. Volleyball entered the spotlight in 2024 with the launch of the Professional Volleyball Federation and League One Volleyball.
Unrivaled, co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, finished its inaugural season with players' salaries averaging around $200,000 — the highest of any women’s pro league. Fan engagement was high, with more than 11.9 million viewers tuning in to watch the games on TNT and truTV, signaling its long-term viability.
“Our strategy was very simple. We knew we could find success if we had the top players playing,” said Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell, a basketball trainer and Collier’s husband.
“The pinnacle of women’s sports, both from an economic standpoint and a star power standpoint, is women’s basketball," Bazzell continued. ”So we had this inherent advantage from day one with the star power to activate social media and all the things that we needed.”
While Unrivaled was able to leverage its players' popularity to fuel its success, launching a women’s sports league has historically been an uphill climb. Leagues such as the WNBA and National Women's Soccer League have withstood years of hardship relative to their male counterparts.
The WNBA, whose players have negotiated charter flights in recent years and are currently seeking major salary boosts, began 29 years ago fighting for support and visibility.
“This is not an undertaking for the faint of heart,” said Ed Desser, who has advised the NFL, NBA and PGA Tour on media rights. “You have to not only have a bunch of things going for you, but also be fairly lucky. Because today, you’re not only competing with every existing sport, but you’re competing, from a media consumption standpoint, with libraries full of the best content TV and film ever created.”
‘Women’s sports can be good business'
The environment for new women’s sports ventures is far more favorable today than it once was, said Risa Isard, director of research and insights for Parity, a women’s sports marketing platform.
The rise of streaming services has opened new pathways to reach fans directly, bypassing traditional broadcast limitations and giving emerging leagues a better shot at building devoted audiences. Isard said there’s also a wealth of data indicating women’s sports can deliver strong returns, proving “women’s sports can be good business."
Explosive growth in attendance and viewership in part led to the NWSL's $240 million, four-year media rights deal in 2023. The WNBA followed with an 11-year media rights deal in 2024, when the league had its best attendance in more than 20 years and saw viewership nearly triple from 2023.
Parity indicated in a June report that new leagues are gaining traction, particularly in regions with local teams.
The PWHL, made up of six teams with strong local followings in Minnesota and Canada, debuted in 2024 with record crowds and surpassed those numbers easily in Year 2. Attendance jumped by 27%, rising from 5,689 per outing over 85 games to 7,230 over 102 games, including playoffs. Part of the jump can be attributed to Toronto and Montreal playing in larger venues, as well as a nine-game neutral site schedule that combined to draw 123,601 fans.
And investors are taking notice.
League One Volleyball, branded as LOVB and pronounced “LOVE," secured more than $100 million in funding from private equity and individuals, including Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and NBA star Kevin Durant.
There were some hiccups during LOVB's debut season this year, including with athlete logistics and broadcast production. Jordan Larson, a volleyball star and co-owner of LOVB Nebraska, said patience is key as the league works through early challenges, especially given there's no established blueprint for success for pro women's volleyball in the U.S.
“I think there is a hope and grace that we can get from people that are trying to buy in and invest,” Larson said, "that we’re trying to make this the best product we can. And I have no doubt that there is interest and that there’s love for the game and that it will only continue to grow."
A crowded landscape
The sustainability of any new league depends on whether it can stand out in a crowded entertainment market, said John Kosner, who runs a digital and sports consultancy.
Kosner emphasized the value of YouTube and other ad-supported streaming channels for building a loyal audience, but cautioned that visibility alone doesn't guarantee longevity.
“Just to get distribution doesn’t mean that you’re going to get watched,” Kosner said. “It’s a more involved playbook."
That's where social media, branding and community development become crucial. The PWHL achieved success with its “Takeover Tour,” a series of games in markets without a hockey team to attract new fans.
Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the PWHL's vice president of brand and marketing, compared the experience to taking a band on the road. It gives “fans that maybe previously only had a chance to watch, or had to travel to one of our home markets” the opportunity "to experience all of the things that make the PWHL so magical and the game experience so joyful.”
Beyond driving fan engagement, many women’s sports leagues prioritize the wellness and needs of athletes. The six Unrivaled teams play all their games in a custom-built arena in Miami to help build a fan base and sense of community, while the league covers the cost of players’ housing, rental cars and child-care. LOVB president Rosie Spaulding underscored the long-term importance of being athlete-centered, noting that LOVB athletes are considered league employees and have access to year-round health care.
“There’s for sure more that needs to be done,” Spaulding said, “but I am very encouraged with the path that we’re on already and the changes that we’ve seen over these last five years, and the return on investment that these brands continue to see.”
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Alanis Thames, The Associated Press
