The Business Case For More Women’s Sports Movies
The top grossing baseball and soccer movies of all time are about women - so why aren’t there more women’s sports films?
ㅤ
It’s been an epic summer for women’s soccer – and not just because of what’s happened on the pitch with the massive success of the EUROS, Copa América, Champions League, NWSL, etc. But it’s also been incredible because of what’s happening off of the pitch. One of the reasons? Women’s soccer fans just learned that a sequel to Bend It Like Beckham is in the works.
ㅤ
Let’s take a minute to celebrate that, because frankly, it’s long overdue.
Released in 2002, Bend It Like Beckham became the highest grossing soccer film of all time, grossing $77 million worldwide. And yet, over 20 years later, it still stands as one of the few blockbuster women’s sports movies to exist. So why aren’t there more women’s sports movies?
ㅤ
That’s not just a fairness question. It’s a business one.
ㅤ
Despite the fact that women’s sports are having a commercial renaissance with record-breaking viewership, sell-out crowds, billion-dollar valuations, and skyrocketing media rights, the film industry has barely budged.
And it’s not like women’s sports movies don’t drive big results. Just look at A League of Their Own (1992), which holds the title of the highest-grossing baseball movie ever, pulling in over $100 million at the box office. Of the top 20 highest grossing baseball movies, it is both the top movie on the list, and the only movie that centers women.
ㅤ
Movies like She’s the Man (2006), Stick It (2006), Bring It On (2000), Love & Basketball (2000), Million Dollar Baby (2004), and Battle of the Sexes (2017) are also certainly not niche titles – they’re proof that women’s sports stories resonate with an audience beyond only sports fans. These films have the ability to cut across culture and appeal to not just women’s sports fans, but to society at large. Because at the end of the day, women’s sports are sports, and Hollywood has clearly recognized the massive demand for sports-focused movies.
ㅤ
Why is Hollywood ignoring these business results and leaving money on the table?
ㅤ
Women’s sports are red-hot right now, and studios would be smart to ride the wave. The audience is there. The appetite is clear. The sequel to Bend It Like Beckham is a great start. But one sequel isn’t enough. We need more movies that reflect the explosion happening in women’s sports right now. More original stories, more icons, more storytelling, more competitive women athletes on screen.
ㅤ
Not only is there a strong business case; there’s also a strong “see it be it” effect. Having more girls & women represented in fictional sports content will translate to more girls & women playing sports.
In 2016, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media found that after The Hunger Games and Brave were released in 2012, participation in archery rose 86% from 2013 to 2014, with women’s participation increasing 105% during that period of time. 7-in-10 girls from the Institute's study said that Katniss from The Hunger Games and Princess Merida from Brave influenced their decision to take up archery.
ㅤ
This is just one example of the impact that putting women’s sports on the big screen can have on society.
ㅤ
The business case is crystal clear. The cultural case is undeniable. It’s well past time for more women’s sports movies.
MEET CAROLINE FITZGERALD
Caroline Fitzgerald is a contributing writer for TOGETHXR.com and a leading expert in women’s sports business and gender equity. A Sports Business Journal "2024 Power Player in Women's Sports," she covers the forces shaping the industry’s next era of growth.
ㅤ
