PR’s Top Pros Talk… The Power of Authenticity in Women’s Sports Media Coverage

Women’s sports have become more popular recently, but it is not just the game that keeps fans engaged. Madelyn Flax, Sports Account Supervisor and Women’s Sports Practice Lead at FINN Partners, describes this growth as a “movement, not a moment.” She explains how brand partnerships with athletes can propel social change forward. Madelyn also highlights how stories can reach multiple sectors including entertainment and culture.

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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: Madelyn is the boom in women’s sports creating an opportunity for PR people?

MADELYN: Yeah, I mean, I think there are really a multitude of opportunities within the broader women’s sports movement. There are incredible storytelling opportunities for these athletes both on and off the pitch or the field or the court, that publicists can really lean into and amplify and share with this broader group of sports fans. There’s the brand story. So many of these brands are partnering with leagues and teams and individual athletes, and telling the stories of why these brands want to align with the women’s sports movement is definitely another thing that we’re seeing that journalists are really excited about sharing with their readers. And then the other one is the stakeholders. So, whether that is the executives who are getting involved or team owners or people who are coming together to create new leagues, there are so many different ways to kind of tell the story of women’s sports and the different factors that are really propelling the movement forward.

DOUG: I know you’re not just living it, but you’re a big believer that communicators have a role in keeping this momentum going.

MADELYN: Yeah, I think you’re seeing now the fan base is growing. There’s always been an appetite for women’s sports, but it’s certainly been more niche within different communities, and obviously as a former athlete myself, I’ve kind of understood and tapped into them as I’ve grown as an athlete and then later as a publicist. But now seeing it on a broader scale and a broader level, it’s really the moment to take those stories and share them with the world and kind of just watch the reception around them and the legs that they grow. Once people really kind of identify with a lot of these athletes.

DOUG: And as an athlete yourself, are you sort of saying, geez, I wish I was an athlete around now when there was a little?

MADELYN: Definitely a little bit jealous, for sure. I was an athlete in college ten years ago, and the landscape has certainly changed. And I think what we look at as an influencer and an athlete is very much more kind of intertwined versus people being athletes or something else. So, watching the intertwining of sports and entertainment in greater culture has been a really exciting opportunity for me. And really a great place to be creative in terms of what stories we want to tell and the athletes who want to really be out there as role models as well.

DOUG: Yeah. And you talk about being creative. What are some best practices for coming up with story ideas that involve these athletes? It’s suddenly or getting a significant increase in attention.

MADELYN: I think the really important part is the authenticity here. I think you can slap a, it’s a movement, not a moment hashtag onto a lot of these storylines in women’s sports. And I think for people that have been watching this for years and kind of seeing it grow, the authenticity really lies in the fact that these athletes have stories that started before the women’s sports movement. So really telling the holistic kind of story of how these women got to be where they are when times were tough and when they didn’t have fans in the stands and sponsors and investors willing to believe in them, really sharing what it’s taken for them to get to this point and why it really is just the tipping point is really, really important and kind of makes sure that the theme of people pushing this movement forward stays at the forefront.

DOUG: I’d love to take this from a brand perspective, and it’s such a huge topic, so divided into two parts. The first part is what should a brand be looking for when it’s trying to figure out which athlete or team is best suited for moving what they’re trying to accomplish forward.

MADELYN: I actually have a really great story that’s pretty timely. So, this morning, our client, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and Barbie, who’s been a partner of theirs for a couple of months, announced a special collection that they launched around the PWHL playoffs. And when we’ve talked to the executives about how this partnership came about, it came about through like a random LinkedIn message. So, the marketing team at Barbie had LinkedIn messaged some of the executives at the PWHL and they said, we are really excited about your vision of empowering women, the next generation. We’d love to sit down and talk about how we can align our brands, because there are so many similarities here. So, I think that really rings true, and I think the fans will really kind of be receptive to it if it feels authentic, like for the PWHL and Barbie, the idea for this collection came through the YouTube chats and the live games because the fans were so excited about that February partnership. And then both companies stayed in tuned to see what the fans wanted and created a really authentic experience for them, because these brands really are aligned. So, I think finding leagues and teams and athletes that really represent the brand ethos is very important, for a lot of these companies.

DOUG: Yeah. So, we’ll see if Barbie’s in hockey gear for the remake or Barbie 2, if they come out with that one, that would probably be a win for you. But, the second part is you picked the right partner as a brand, developing the story. What are the different modes, methods, and approaches you’re taking now to get that message out there? Now that the landscape has changed so dramatically.

MADELYN: I think really personalizing it. So, a lot of these brands, especially bigger corporate brands, they want to connect with their consumers on a more intimate level. And what better way to do that than through these athletes who are role models for this next generation of consumers? I think brands are really looking at female athletes because they’re approachable and they’re very in tune with their audiences. A lot of them have been doing live streams, Instagram lives, TikTok videos for years to really get in touch with their fans because they didn’t always necessarily have a platform to get access. So, I think a lot of the work that they’ve individually been doing, like on their personal brands, is really now paying back tenfold because these companies are seeing really how in tune with their audiences these athletes are.

DOUG: Now, I’m a huge sports fan myself and loved playing sports and being active, so it’s always been part of my culture and my family’s culture. But now it’s evolving into the general culture in different ways. How do you see that evolution happening and what are some of the implications of that?

MADELYN: Well, I think you see these women empowered to really push for what their value is. So, you look at the NWSL and you see the players pushing for pay equity. You look at the impact of NIL on these collegiate athletes. You know that they could have a huge future. I think it’s empowering the athletes to really come out authentically and become advocates for their sport and themselves and for the next generation which I think is really just going to grow the sports and entertainment conglomerate overall into somewhere where people really feel confident and empowered to stand up for themselves.

DOUG: Yeah, and it’s already starting to level the financial playing field a little bit for college athletes. I was just speaking with someone today whose son was being redshirted as a freshman athlete in college, but already was being receiving NIL money, which is really interesting. The landscape will also be changing for the salaries by women athletes who will be able to earn. I know there have been fights for equality going back to Billie Jean King, who forced tennis to pay men and women the same, and the great achievement years ago so far ahead of her time. And there’s been that push for the women’s soccer team in the U.S. as well. Do you see that happening more widely now?

MADELYN: Yeah, and I think you’re seeing it, Billie Jean King, her story now is even more incredible, because if you think about the environment and the solidarity that she kind of had to give herself, it was just her doing this and really pushing. And now I think you have these broader machines and these companies that are really looking to push this forward. For example, you have Monarch Collective, which is private equity fund that is really geared towards women’s sports and creating a more equitable playing field overall. I think you’re going to see it become a business aspect of really making things more equal, which I think is going to really allow women’s sports to flourish and grow, and just create an overall more equitable space for people looking to work in sports to be involved with teams and leagues. I think there’s a world of opportunity to see how it unfolds.

DOUG: Yeah, we can debate the reputation that private equity generally has, but the idea that they’re pushing for equality is a pretty good step forward. What are some of the things you see on the horizon that brands should possibly be thinking about, as they’re looking to partner with either individual women athletes, sports leagues, college teams, etc.?

MADELYN: I think the really big thing is how these leagues communicate with their fans, and also how the teams in the athletes do. I think this new generation is so digital and so passionate about what they’re passionate about and their causes, and just watching how they align with an athlete or a team or a league that really embodies that is so incredibly important. I think you’re going to see a lot of this next month is Pride Month, and that’s a huge month for a lot of leagues, a lot of teams, and personally for a lot of athletes. And I think just watching how the fans really kind of get on board and use their fandom to really amplify those causes is really a big thing that’s going to continue to grow.

DOUG: Yeah. Well, congratulations to you for being smart enough to be on the cutting edge of all this from a communication standpoint. Any final thoughts you’d like to leave the audience with?

MADELYN: Women’s sports has been a passion of mine since I was growing up. I was I played sports in college. I dressed up as Mia Hamm as a kid for Halloween, and I think because I’ve kind of been in it before, I realized that I was in it, it has kind of helped inform how to get ahead and tell really exciting new stories and really create stories that need to be told that resonate with people.

DOUG: Yeah, well, congratulations on both your collegiate athletic career and post-collegiate career, and it’s really wonderful that you’ve been able to continue that thread of interest to this part of your life.

MADELYN: It’s really exciting. And FINN has really been at the center of the women’s sports movement since it started. Working with Missy Park in Title Nine, “Kick in for Equal Pay” was even before everyone was giving women’s sports the attention that they deserved. So, being in a place that really saw this wave coming and empowered our team here to capitalize on it has been a really exciting experience.

DOUG: Awesome. Thanks so much for being with us.

MADELYN: Thanks for having me.