The sports audience, particularly those aged 18-54, shows a strong interest in both men’s and women’s sports, presenting brands with a chance to foster inclusive connections. Younger fans, in particular, are drawn to innovative, tech-driven experiences, such as live interactions or exclusive player content, providing fertile ground for engagement through modern tools. Streaming services have witnessed an increase in usage when it comes to engaging with sports, signaling a continued shift. While this reflects broader trends, rising costs may deter fans, highlighting the need for affordable access. With TV, streaming platforms, and social media being key touchpoints, brands must adopt a multi-platform approach to create seamless, engaging experiences for fans. Social media stands out as a critical channel for keeping fans connected to the game. It not only delivers highlights and team updates but also builds a sense of community and fosters real-time interactions, deepening loyalty. Meanwhile, there’s room for diverse product partnerships that align with fan lifestyles, extending beyond sports-specific items to areas like food, fashion, and tech. Brands that adapt to these trends, align with audiences through varied platforms, and create meaningful integrations can strengthen their relationship with fans outside of the painted lines.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Men’s and women’s sports followership and viewership trends
- Sources consumers use to follow sports
- Top reasons for following sports on social media
- Consumers’ interest in future content
- Consumers’ sports behaviors related to sponsorships and merchandise
- Product categories consumers would like to see have integrations with sports
- Attitudes towards sports, athletes, sponsorship, popular culture, technology, and merchandise
Sports unite diverse audiences, offering engaged fans ideal for brands. With strong growth ahead, the future of fandom shines bright.
Gabe Sanchez, Analyst
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
- A “sports fan” is any respondent who follows at least one of football, basketball, baseball, the Olympics, soccer, boxing/MMA, hockey, tennis, golf, auto racing, or other sports leagues.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want & why
- What consumers want & why (cont’d)
- Opportunities
- Leverage technologies to bring fans closer to the action
- Remain agile when reaching sports fans
- Develop localized fan incentives; uplift local community
- Continue to invest in women’s sports
- Nurture the growing sports fandom among women…
- …and look to other sports for inspiration
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Market Dynamics
- Market context
- Market drivers
- Economic growth is expected to decline in Q1 2025
- Graph 1: quarterly real GDP growth, 2021-25
- Consumer sentiment declines from February – falling to its lowest level since late 2023
- Graph 2: consumer sentiment index, 2022-25
- How economic trends impact sports
- Federal Trade Commission implements ban on junk fees
- Proposed ban on college player prop betting
- Ticket prices are increasing at a rapid rate
- Graph 3: CPI of admission to sporting events in US city average (1999=100), 2010-24
- Sports venues are getting smaller, impacting in-person access
- Peripheral leagues generate interest
- Team-owned sports networks gain control, but risk alienating fans
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Consumer fast facts
- Exploring men’s sports
- Majority of consumers are men’s sports fans
- Graph 4: men’s sports regularly watched, listened to or followed, 2025
- Younger consumers are a driving force in today’s fandom
- Graph 5: men’s sports vs women’s sports followership (NET any), by age and gender, 2025
- Younger consumers are a driving force in today’s fandom
- Graph 6: men’s sports regularly watched, listened to or followed, by age, 2025
- National pastime to modern challenge: revitalizing baseball’s legacy
- Baseball steps up to the plate in a youth-driven sports world
- Representation and culture shape multicultural sports preferences
- Graph 7: men’s sports regularly watched, listened to or followed (select), by race, 2025
- Tours aim to bolster inclusion
- LIV and PGA “Tee Up” a merger
- Fathers: the MVPs of family sports fandom
- Graph 8: men’s sports regularly watched, listened to or followed, by parental status, 2025
- Themed sports broadcasts drive interest among parents; present opportunities for continued growth
- Exploring women’s sports
- Understanding growth and challenges of women’s sports
- Graph 9: women’s sports leagues regularly watched, listened to or followed, 2025
- Bridging the gender gap in women’s sports fandom
- Graph 10: women’s sports leagues regularly watched, listened to or followed (NET any), by age and gender, 2025
- Younger audiences drive growth in women’s sports
- Graph 11: women’s sports leagues regularly watched, listened to or followed, by age, 2025
- Women’s basketball, hockey surge in popularity
- Graph 12: women’s basketball engagement (processional vs collegiate), 2022 vs 2025
- Graph 13: women’s hockey engagement (professional vs collegiate), 2022 vs 2025
- From courtside to nosebleeds: the Caitlin Clark effect
- Black consumers propel women’s basketball
- Fathers lead in women’s sports engagement
- Graph 14: women’s sports leagues regularly watched, listened to or followed, by parental status, 2025
- Driving engagement across women’s sports
- Exploring fandom
- Understanding the spectrum of sports fandom
- Graph 15: self-indicated sports fandom, 2025
- Sports betting is a driving force in consumption, especially among the biggest fans
- Reaching consumers across varying levels of fandom beyond betting
- Bridge the gap in sports fandom with inclusive engagement
- Graph 16: self-indicated sports fandom, by gender, 2025
- Drive women’s fandom through style and storytelling
- Younger consumers are more likely to be big fans
- Graph 17: self-indicated sports fandom, by age, 2025
- Innovative strategies to reach across fandoms
- Unlocking the power of black consumers’ sports fandom
- Engaging parents through family-focused fandom
- Graph 18: self-indicated sports fandom, by parental status, 2025
- “We have hoops (Monopoly) at home!”
- Sports viewership trends
- Soccer and football leverage star power, streaming to drive viewership
- Graph 19: sports viewership frequency of most popular sports vs last year, 2025
- International games pose opportunities for overseas, domestic growth
- Younger consumers are a driving force in increased viewership
- Graph 20: “I have watched this sport more often compared to a year ago” (most popular sports), by age, 2025
- Hispanic basketball viewership shows promise
- LGBTQ+ consumers are watching more hoops
- NBA 2025: pride nights highlight inclusivity and progress
- Shake it off: Taylor’s takeover of football…
- …and Kelce’s takeover of the screen.
- Older consumers’ commitment remains steady
- Graph 21: “I have watched this sport the same amount compared to a year ago” (most popular sports), by age, 2025
- Declining viewership among black audiences in football and baseball
- Graph 22: “I have watched this sport less often compared to a year ago” – baseball & football, Black consumers vs overall, 2025
- Improving viewership among Black consumers
- On the rise: boxing/mma, rugby and auto racing
- Graph 23: sports viewership frequency vs last year (other sports), 2025
- Younger consumers drive gaining viewership
- Graph 24: “I have watched this sport more often compared to a year ago” (other sports), by age, 2025
- Netflix serves, drives and shifts interests
- Older consumers indicate they are watching the same amount
- Graph 25: “I have watched this sport the same amount compared year ago” (other sports), by age, 2025
- Drivers of lessened viewership
- What’s driving consumers away
- Graph 26: reasons for watching sports less, 2025
- Exclusive networks have the potential to drive fans away
- Nurture younger fans, an active base
- Graph 27: reasons for watching sports less (select), by age, 2025
- Ways to reach younger consumers
- Breaking barriers: making hockey more accessible and engaging
- Graph 28: select reasons for watching sports less, by those watching hockey, baseball, and soccer less often compared to a year ago, 2025
- Politics and passion fuel record-breaking 4 Nations Cup
- The NHL continues to modernize its playbook
- Paywalls bench Midwest fans
- Sources used to follow sports
- Shifting screens: how consumers follow sports
- Graph 29: sources used to follow sports, 2025
- From boomers to zoomers: sports consumption
- Graph 30: sources used to follow sports, by age, 2025
- Artificial intelligence is top of mind across most platforms
- Graph 31: future interest in artificial intelligence integrations in sports content, by method of consuming sports content, 2025
- AI-powered personalization: Spotify’s wrapped podcast and game-changing strategies to reach sports fans
- Flexible formats appeal to parents
- Graph 32: sources used to follow sports, parents vs overall, 2025
- Reaching parents, and driving the next generation of fans
- Big fans are more likely to favor dynamic platforms
- Graph 33: sources used to follow sports, big sports fan vs overall, 2025
- Sports-adjacent platforms offer opportunity for brands to enter the conversation
- Reasons for following on social media
- Social media remains a top way consumers follow sports
- Fan voices drove Reese’s collaboration with Angel Reese
- Grimace hits it off with Mets fans
- Capturing the spirit of sports fans on social media
- Graph 34: top reasons for following sports on social media (any rank), 2025
- Reaching consumers through social media
- Engaging younger sports fans through social channels
- Graph 35: select top reasons for following sports on social media (any rank), by age, 2025
- Maximizing fan engagement during trade deadline, offseason frenzy
- Future content
- Bring fans closer to the action
- Graph 36: future content interests – player content, by age, 2025
- Connecting with younger fans through personalization and purpose
- Graph 37: future content interests – advertising and giving, by age, 2025
- Alternate leagues are likely to capture the eye of younger consumers
- Graph 38: future content interest – adaptations, by age, 2025
- The internet goes bananas for the Savannah Bananas
- Celebrities take the court at NBA All-Star Weekend
- Tech-savvy sports fans call for innovations that bring them closer to the action
- Graph 39: future content interests – innovation, by age, 2025
- Amazon introduces AI-driven features
- Product and category integrations
- Top product categories among fans…
- Graph 40: product categories consumers would like to see integrated within sports, 2025
- …aren’t always required to make an interesting connection.
- Younger consumers indicate interest in non-endemic integrations
- Graph 41: product categories consumers would like to see integrated within sports, by age, 2025
- Certain categories stand out among multicultural consumers
- Graph 42: product categories consumers would like to see integrated within sports (select), by race, 2025
- Big sports fans are open to brand collaborations
- Graph 43: product categories consumers would like to see integrated within sports, big sports fans vs overall, 2025
- Mac McClung jumps over a Kia
- Connecting brand categories across sports
- Graph 44: product categories consumers would like to see integrated within sports, by sports followed (select), 2025
- Sports behaviors
- Sports engagement: conversations and live attendance
- Graph 45: sports behaviors – social and event, by age, 2025
- Community, atmosphere and the new era of stadium design
- Leveraging the passion of big sports fans
- Graph 46: sports behaviors – social and event, big sports fan vs overall, 2025
- Broadcast impact on sponsor visibility
- Graph 47: sports behavior – sponsorship, by sports followed, 2025
- Age and engagement with sports sponsorships
- Graph 48: sports behaviors – sponsors, by age, 2025
- Passion drives sponsorship engagement
- Graph 49: sports behaviors – sponsors, big sports fan vs overall, 2025
- Generational trends in sports merchandising
- Graph 50: sports behaviors – merchandise, by age, 2025
- Pride drives team merchandise purchases
- NBA’s fusion of sports and fashion
- Younger fans drive sports gaming culture
- Sports gaming continues to evolve
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Innovation and Marketing strategies
- Competitive strategies
- Navigating the backlash: how the NFL’s messaging shift may challenge trust among younger consumers
- Team manager scores big with NIL deals
- Streaming services continue to commit to sports
- Unrivaled League: redefining women’s basketball and Ally’s game-changing support
- Women’s Elite Rugby kicks its inaugural season off
- PWHL drives a crowd
- TGL reinvents golf
- LIV and PGA merger talks stall
- US manufacturers aim to compete in Formula 1
- The WNBA is expanding, and brands are noticing
- Shohei Ohtani enters Fortnite
- Coors leverages the madness of March
- Chicago Cubs open season in Japan
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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