Allison Creekmore

Women’s sports attract significantly fewer commercial sponsors than men’s sports, which is creating an ideal situation for small business owners. By sponsoring female athletes and women’s sports teams many younger businesses can take advantage of an under-exploited marketing industry. In fact, a recent survey revealed that women’s sports only accounted for 0.4% of the total sports sponsorships. This indicates emerging business have an opportunity to connect with consumers on a massive scale.

There’s also a financial advantage for small business owners in sponsoring women’s sports. Since the market is under-utilized, advertising costs are significantly lower. This means businesses that have smaller marketing budgets can take advantage of opportunities that might otherwise be unavailable to them. Businesses can sponsor major sporting events without having to overspend on their marketing budgets. While men’s sports teams might require a marketing budget of $1 million or more, the same advertising opportunities can be had with women’s sports teams for six figures. That opens up the marketing playing field to a new segment of businesses.

Also, sponsoring women’s sports teams and female athletes allows advertisers to reach a different demographic. While their products might not appeal to the typical NFL fan, a given brand might better appeal to the fans of a women’s soccer team. Women make up the largest share of fans of women’s sports, so cosmetics companies and women’s fashion designers might find a more welcoming market in this industry.

While advertisers may not be drawn to women’s sports, the same can’t be said for the fans. A recent survey found that women’s sports in the UK grew attendances consistently year by year at a 38% growth rate. This year, the number of expected fans attending women’s sporting events in the UK is expected to surpass 682,000, which represents a 49% spike from 2017’s numbers. Last year, over 2 million viewers tuned in to watch the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

The growing audiences suggest this market won’t remain untapped for long. As women’s sports gains more attention, businesses of every size will look for ways to exploit the market. For smaller businesses, taking advantage of less costly marketing opportunities now may help them grow substantially in the future. Today, women’s sports offers a wealth of benefits for the few businesses willing to take a chance on an untapped market.

from Allison Creekmore’s Career Overview http://bit.ly/2FF14XB
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Billie Jean King became the number one tennis player in the world after she won 39 Grand Slams including 20 titles at Wimbledon. She also defeated Bobby Riggs, her male opponent, in “The Battle of the Sexes,” which was one of the unforgettable moments in the history of sports at a time when women were not expected to win.

King was the founder of the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974, which is dedicated to making sure that all females have an equal access to sports and any physical activities and the life-long benefits they provide. At the Foundation’s recent November 2018 New York Athletes Leadership Connection, King was celebrated for her 75th birthday, and she spoke at a Question and Answer session.

At the session, she concentrated on how the involvement in sports aids girls in their leadership development, why leadership by women is important and why it matters, and what her general life advice is for girls and women.

King has long been recognized as one of the most highly respected athletes of all time as well as a change maker of the 20th century. Following are some of her own personal insights from that session as she continues her diligent work as a champion for equality and social change:

King says that sports involvement is what gave her confidence in the battle to overcome her shyness when she felt like she didn’t fit in as a child. King urges girls and women to believe in themselves, what strengths they possess, and then put those strengths to work in a variety of ways both in their careers and in their personal lives.

Sports also teach important life lessons and the way to handle success and bounce back from failure with resilience and the understanding that failure is really feedback that allows learning from life experiences. One should not be afraid of failure.

King encourages girls and women to never underestimate themselves. Data has proven that if a business has more women on its board, net profits generally go up 16 percent. Therefore, business leaders should want to hear the different ideas that women have to increase the bottom line and the overall success of the business.

Remember that, as a female, whatever you care passionately about, you can indeed make a difference if you apply yourself and your time and your efforts.

from Allison Creekmore’s Career Overview https://ift.tt/2PDi4xH
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In 2002, Stacy Sims was completing the Ironman World Championships when she felt off. Nursing a headache and a swelling body, Sims tried to treat her ailments with electrolyte and glucose tablets. However, once the race was over, Sims ran to the medical tent, later learning that her blood sodium levels were dangerously low.

Sims, a PhD candidate for nutrition science and environmental exercise physiology, wondered why she was having trouble with hydration and heat. Though she followed the same training, heat acclimation protocols, and nutrition as he training counterparts, she wondered if she was alone. Sims discovered that other women that were close to their periods were also borderline hyponatremic and were facing lower sodium levels as well.

It was after this race that Sims decided to investigate the differences between male and female athletic performance. Sims’ research focuses on how women’s hormones change the way their bodies maintain hydration, use macronutrients, regulate body temperature, and recover. Since Title IX passed in 1972, there has been a significant increase in female athletes in the world of competitive sports. However, this increase hasn’t been reflected in the research portion of exercise science.

This lack of female representation within exercise science research has created gaps in the overall knowledge of female performance and physiology. The research that many scientists and female athletes have worked with has focus on the understanding that women’s and men’s bodies are relatively similar. For this reason, Sims now speaks out for gender equality in sports science.

In addition to her research, Sims is the co-founder of Osmo, a company that creates customizable hydration products for both men and women. Then, in 2016, Sims publishes Roar, a nutrition and training guide for women. Sims points out that when women tailor their nutrition and training specifically to their genetic profile and physiology, their performance outcomes skyrocket.

Audrey Bergouignan, a researcher of physiology from the University of Colorado at Denver, admits that this disparity in research is likely due to the fact that in the past, mostly men were participating in sports. Therefore, it was easier for researchers to study men’s performance and physiology rather than women’s.

When researching women’s physiology, there is a distinct lack of funding. This makes performing the expensive research on female athletes even more challenging. For this reason, many researchers continue to choose to apply their research with men to women.

Though this bias continues to exist, women like Sims are working to change the industry. As more athletes and researchers recognize the benefits of sex-specific guidelines and research, the playing field between men and women will be one step closer to becoming level.

from Allison Creekmore’s Career Overview https://ift.tt/2zvqMZC
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