Why
it matters:
- Amid the surging popularity of women’s sports, women’s sports merchandise generated an estimated $4 billion in sales in 2024, according to Deloitte.
- Against that backdrop, startup Moolah Kicks, which offers athletic shoes designed specifically for female basketball players, has driven a compound annual sales growth of 150% over the past four years.
- And, leaning into the trend, Togethxr reported $6 million in apparel and merchandise sales last year,
including T-shirts with its ‘Everyone Watches Women’s Sports’ slogan.
The
rapidly rising popularity of women’s sports represents a sales and
marketing opportunity for brands.
Startup
companies including Moolah Kicks
and Round 21,
as well as star athlete-owned Togethxr,
are seeking to capitalize on this niche, which drove an estimated $4
billion in merchandise sales last year, according to a report from Deloitte.
Women’s
sports are especially appealing to young consumers, according to the
Deloitte report. Fans of women’s sports tend to be younger, more
affluent, and more educated than fans of men’s sports, making them
a prime target for brands seeking to reach that audience, the report
found.
“The
current environment brings with it an abundance of opportunity,
especially as awareness and demand for women’s sports are expected
to accelerate in 2025 and beyond,” the report concluded.
Jasmine
Maietta, Founder and CEO of Round21, which specializes in
limited-edition apparel and merchandise tied to women’s sports,
said there’s a “new wave of excitement” among fans.
“It’s
not just the product on the court,” she said in an interview with
CO—. “It’s about the stories of the players, the narrative of
the team in general, and the brand of the team.”
Maietta,
a former professional basket player herself, also spent time as a
college coach before launching a 20-year career in marketing at
companies including Reebok,
Hasbro,
Under Armour,
and Peloton.
She founded Round21 to fill what she perceived as a need for “more
creative freedom in sports.”
Round21
has partnerships with female athletes and with women’s sports
leagues and individual teams that showcase their brands in new ways.
The company collaborates with artists to create unique,
limited-edition apparel and merchandise—such as collectible soccer
balls featuring artwork by famous artists, and T-shirts
and sweatshirts that display player signatures and team logos in
stylized designs.
“We’re
an extension of the fan’s personality, and I think that is really
relevant to today’s modern fan,” said Maietta. “They want to
celebrate who they stand with and what they stand for on their terms,
and that’s what we’re creating.”
Fans
of the Golden State Valkyries, the newest member of the Women’s National Basketball Association,
for example, can select from hoodies featuring a lilac-colored
silhouette of a female basketball player with the words “The Bay’s
Team” printed in a decorative font. The back of the hoodie further
proclaims the wearer’s support of women’s sports, with the words
“Women’s National Basketball Association” spelled out, along
with the Valkyries’ logo.
Round21
also has partnerships with renowned artists including Korean artist
Kwon
Kisoo
and the estates of artists Jean-Michel Basquiat
and Keith Haring
to sell basketballs, soccer balls, and other sports merchandise
decorated with their art. The company also collaborates with
lesser-known local artists in markets around the country to create
limited-edition apparel.
“I
believe no other company on the planet is in the Museum of Modern Art
in New York and in Dick’s Sporting Goods,
and we are because we participate truly in both ecosystems,” said
Maietta.
The
apparel and merchandise help fans connect with their favorite
athletes and teams in a different way, she said, noting that despite
the growing popularity of women’s sports, it can still be
challenging to find their games on TV or streaming services.
“We
need to be much more creative in how we’re giving fans a piece of
that experience,” Maietta said. “In a way, our products are a
form of media to continue growing the game, even if it may not be as
prevalent on all of our screens.”
Round21
raised some early funding on Kickstarter,
and Maietta also appeared on Season 13 of Shark Tank, where she made
a deal with Kevin O’Leary that included a $250,000 equity
investment.
“We’re
still just getting started, but there really is no ceiling,” said
Maietta. “The women’s sports fan wants to be seen, they want to
be expressive, and they want to be a part of a movement, and that is
everything that Round21 is serving.”
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more: Let’s Get ‘Phygital’: Fitness Centers Boost Membership via On-Site Virtual Classes from Martial Arts to Barre]
We’re an extension of the fan’s personality, and I think that is really relevant to today’s modern fan. They want to celebrate who they stand with and what they stand for on their terms, and that’s what we’re creating.
Jasmine Maietta, Founder and CEO of Round21
Moolah
Kicks finds a perfect fit in sneakers engineered for women’s feet
Amid
the growth in the popularity of women’s sports, one area that had
been overlooked was the need for sneakers designed specifically for
female athletes, said Natalie White, Founder and CEO of Moolah Kicks.
Her company is a pioneer in the business of creating sneakers that
have been engineered to accommodate the unique physical
characteristics of women’s legs and feet.
“With
the explosion of women’s hoops, female hoopers want something
that’s truly for them,” White told CO—. “They deserve to be
recognized and to be addressed for who they are and their game, and
that’s exactly what this brand is doing.”
As
a basketball player herself in high school and on a club team at
Boston College, White said she noticed that female players were
wearing high-performance sneakers that had been designed for men. She
said she discovered that a sneaker engineered specifically for women
could increase comfort and reduce injuries because of key differences
between men’s and women’s feet and ankles.
Based
on the rapid growth of Moolah Kicks, it appears White has found a
niche that yields returns.
“We
went into 140 stores in 2021, and now we’re in 630,” said White.
“We’ve seen incredible growth both in distribution and in units
and in sales.”
In
the past year, the number of units sold rose about 130%, she said.
And the sneaker brand has driven compound annual sales growth of 150%
over the past four years.
Moolah
Kicks has partnered with some high-profile female athletes to promote
the brand, including WNBA
players Sug Sutton
of the Phoenix Mercury
and Courtney Williams
of the Minnesota Lynx.
The company also has the backing some high-profile investors,
including Mark Cuban of Shark Tank fame, although the company never
appeared on the show.
“I
actually reached out to him with a cold email in 2021, and since then
he’s been a great investor and adviser to the brand,” said White.
In
addition to being a shark on the show, Cuban is also part owner of
the Dallas Mavericks
men’s professional basketball team.
In
addition, Moolah
was one of the startups backed by DSG Ventures,
the investment arm of Dick’s Sporting Goods, when that fund
launched in 2022, and the brand has also received investments from a
handful of other sources.
Moolah
Kicks continues to look for opportunities to create new products for
women’s basketball players, including for young girls who are just
starting out in the sport. In 2023, the company launched its Press
Break line of sneakers specifically for young girls, and in
2025, it
unveiled a partnership with the 3X3 Basketball Association
(3XBA) that involves Moolah Kicks sponsoring a series of 3XBA youth
basketball clinics.
Moolah
also recently launched an apparel business, which includes T-shirts,
hoodies, caps, and compression tops.
[Read
more: 4 Ways Retailers Are Tapping AI to Mitigate the High Cost of Product Returns]
— Togethxr
Athlete-owned
startup Togethxr turns a profit and triples sales
Among
the other brands that have gained a foothold in the women’s sports
business is Togethxr, a media and commerce company founded by four
professional female athletes: Alex Morgan,
Chloe Kim,
Simone Manuel,
and Sue Bird.
The company had a hit product line with its “Everyone Watches
Women’s Sports” T-shirts
and recently inked a deal with Nike to roll out new products,
including caps, hoodies, and other merchandise and apparel carrying
the slogan.
Togethxr
said in April that
it
had achieved profitability and tripled its yearly revenues. In 2024,
the company said it tallied $6 million in apparel and merchandise
sales. Togethxr also announced a new round of funding from several
investors, including Morgan’s
own Trybe Ventures, Susan
Lyne’s
BBG Ventures,
and Olivia
Walton’s
Ingeborg Investments,
among others.
“Togethxr
is perfectly positioned to capitalize on skyrocketing interest in
women’s sports and bring millions of new fans along for the ride,”
said Walton
of
Ingeborg
Investments. “The world is hungry for the stories of these
extraordinary female athletes and all women benefit from the telling
of them.”
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Published
Mark Hamstra
