16% → 50% Before Title IX, women made up less than 16% of college athletes. Today, they account for nearly half.
67% of surveyed women executives said a background in sports positively influences their hiring decisions.
80% Of female Fortune 500 executives competed in sports.
94% Of female C-suite executives played organized sports. (52% collegiately)
At Michigan
In 2025-26, corporate partner NIL marketing funds, through Learfield, reached all 29 sports, with 174 deals with female student-athletes -- 9% more than male student-athletes.
Champions Circle® creates direct, compliant NIL opportunities for Michigan student-athletes, connecting them with fans, brands and partners to leverage their personal brands for success. It works with student-athletes from every U-M women’s team, including selling licensed apparel, trading cards and making youth camp appearances.
Nationally
At the typical FBS school, for every dollar spent on women’s sports, about two and a half dollars are spent on men’s sports. Source: National Women’s Law Center
With schools now able to share revenue -- $20.5 million this year -- with athletes, a majority of those dollars go to football and, to a lesser extent, men’s basketball players. Female college athletes face not only a lack of revenue sharing but a threat of program cuts. Source: SBJ
As of 2026, women’s college basketball viewership has grown 33% year over year. Source: Forbes
Across all divisions, women make up about 43% of NCAA varsity athletes despite women accounting for 55% of the female undergraduate population. That lack of proportionality has held steady over the past decade. Source: SBJ
