Experts predict that American female athletes such as Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, and Sha'Carri Richardson will captivate audiences in Paris, as the surge in popularity of women's sports in the U.S. reaches the Olympic arena. These athletes are prominently featured in NBC's advertising for the Games, attracting unprecedented numbers of female fans to the world's premier sporting event. According to David Steinberg, CEO of Zeta Global, 56% of those seeking Olympic news online in the U.S. are women, compared to 44% men. This shift could reverse a concerning trend for broadcasters, as viewership for the 2021 Tokyo Games, delayed by Covid, dropped to about half that of the 2012 London Games. Caitlin Clark's exceptional performance this year led the women's college basketball tournament to surpass the men's in TV ratings for the first time, making headlines.
Steinberg described it as a "100-year overnight success story," noting that women's sports have been around for a long time but are now gaining the recognition they deserve. NBCUniversal plans to modernize its Olympic coverage for Paris, incorporating elements of pop culture and featuring social media influencers to appeal to more women and younger viewers. Over half of the network's primetime Olympic coverage will focus on women's events. NBCU has also changed its marketing strategy by having celebrities interact with athletes, as seen in a promotional video where R&B singer SZA joins Biles in the gym.
Jenny Storms, NBCU's chief marketing officer for entertainment and sports, highlighted that many celebrities are avid fans of female athletes and the Olympics. American women have consistently outperformed their male counterparts, earning 66 of the U.S.'s 113 total medals in Tokyo and winning more medals than men in Rio and London. Paris will mark the fourth consecutive Games where the U.S. sends more women than men, with 314 female athletes compared to 278 male. Kate Johnson, a trustee at the Women's Sports Foundation and Olympic rowing silver medallist, emphasized the need for better storytelling in women's sports.
Johnson urged NBC to focus on the competitive narratives in women's sports, citing the WNBA's success this season driven by intense rivalries. She noted that the cultural zeitgeist has finally recognized the excellence of women's sports, but the stories of the U.S. women's Olympic team, which has won more medals than the men for years, have not been well-told. Laurie Hernandez, a gold medalist gymnast and now a broadcaster with NBC, praised the pioneers in tennis and soccer for paving the way for women's equality in sports. Logan "Logistx" Edra, a 21-year-old American B-Girl aiming for the top in breaking, believes the Olympics can inspire young girls by showing what is possible.
