Golf and tennis have also enjoyed double-digit increases since 1996. In the U.S, the WNBA has doubled in size in five years. A new women's pro soccer league started up this year and the national women's soccer team has been elevated almost to cult status. On television, women's tennis has surpassed the men's game in popularity, and the new women's pro soccer league recently landed itself a TV deal. The time was a long time ago.
Advertisers are clamouring to get on board, too.
More and more women are getting involved in sports. They're the fastest-growing segment of the sports market. The latter issue is probably the greatest concern, mainly because women as a rule don't watch sports on television. They account for only 32 per cent of hockey viewers on CBC and 30 per cent of the football audience. When women do watch in significant numbers they comprise 42 per cent of the Blue Jays audience they tend to be older and therefore not as attractive to advertisers.