In this edition of the Glossy+ Research Briefing, we analyze the star power brands are leveraging during March Madness, especially as women’s basketball ramps up in popularity and viewership this year.
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Increased March Madness viewership brings more attention to NIL partnerships
Breaking news: Sports team partnerships are becoming bigger business for brands. And if viewership numbers are any indication, this year’s March Madness NCAA basketball tournament has become an even larger battleground for brands hoping to sponsor young athletes at the start of their professional careers. The 32 games aired last Saturday for men’s basketball averaged 10.8 million viewers across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV — the most watched first day of the second round ever, according to March Madness Men’s Basketball TV.
Viewership of the women’s tournament is also up 108% this year, averaging 812,000 viewers through the second round. On Monday, Iowa’s game versus West Virginia brought in 4.9 million viewers eager to watch Caitlin Clark in action. Clark has 11 known NIL partnerships, which are estimated to be worth a combined $3.1 million, according to college sports publication ON3.
“I kind of get to be in the spotlight and I get to change people’s viewpoint of how they see women’s basketball,” Clark said before the season. “The amount of people that have come up to me and said, ‘I’ve never watched women’s basketball before you and your team. Some people could take that as a negative. But to me that’s a positive. We’re finally getting them to turn on the TV and watch it, but not only watch it once. They’re coming back for more.”
Research dive: Here’s a look into the NIL deals coming out of March Madness …
- SKIMS — Last Thursday, the shapewear and clothing brand dropped “THE SKIMS MARCH ALL-STARS” campaign featuring six of the nation’s top college basketball players: Caleb Love (Arizona), Donovan Clingan (UConn), Hunter Dickinson (Kansas), Jared McCain (Duke), Robert Dillingham (Kentucky), and Paxson Wojcik (UNC).
- SKIMS has also partnered with additional athletes who are posting to their individual social media accounts, including Meechie Johnson (South Carolina), Dalton Knecht (Tennessee), Coleman Hawkins (Illinois), Jamal Shead (Houston), and LJ Cryer (Houston), to name a few.
- Curry Brand — Under Armour’s Curry Brand, which was founded by NBA star and celebrity Steph Curry, has signed its first college athlete who is currently playing in the March Madness tournament, Milaysia Fulwiley (South Carolina).
- Air Jordan — The leading basketball brand for Nike signed its first two NIL deals with women’s basketball stars Kiki Rice (UCLA) and Mikaylah Williams (LSU).
- Estée Lauder — The beauty company has signed its first NIL deal with freshman superstar Juju Watkins (USC), adding to her list of major NIL sponsors which include Spotify, Instagram and Dove.
- Harry’s — Men’s grooming and shaving company Harry’s has brought on Tennessee Volunteers guard Dalton Knecht (Tennessee) to promote its Shave and Suds bundle.
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