Field Observation | Documentary
Just Another Battle
Female athletics are in the spotlight more than ever right now amidst massive growth across participation, commercial success, and visibility.
And major corporations haven't wasted a step riding the wave — revenue is up nearly 4.5x faster than men's sports since 2022, and the women's sports industry is projected to reach $2.5 billion in revenue by 2030.
The female marketing/advertising playbook during this wave has been both predictable, and very successful — lean on megastars (like Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson, Angel Reese, Sha'Carri Richardson), cement firmly in girl power, and leverage pop culture and feminine cliches.
But trends fade. The playbook changes. The low-hanging fruit disappears. Consumers begin to subconsciously yearn for something different. And then, corporations begin to scramble for that differentiation.
Here's what I've seen.
The current realm of female sport is not some grandiose march towards equality and recognition, nor is it a fight against opposition.
Every game is Just Another Battle.
I have been immersed in female sports forever. As the oldest of five siblings, including two sisters, I have watched endless sports contests. And they're all the same — two teams go out, both want to win, and they put everything on the line to reign supreme.
Sparked first by a life of sheer admiration myself, the past few years I have had an intentional agenda in the anthropological capture of female competition.
The Insights
1. It's simply, Just Another Battle.
In the grassroots, female athletes are unapologetically fighting. They aren't playing for female empowerment. They are playing to beat the girls across from them. At all costs. Just as the boys want to beat the boys across from them, the girls want to beat the girls. We want to defeat our opponent. That's what competition is.
I believe in many ways, that box isn't being hit — it's less about the art of sport and competition, and more about an aesthetic of empowerment. The girls are not competing with the boys. Nor are they marching on 6th street. They're in their own lane, and the impact is felt. It's 2026. You feel me? They're competing with the girls across from them. Watch. Or you'll miss out.
2. Especially in sports marketing, there are very strict guidelines on who we draw inspiration from.
Most prominently, the boys ooh and awe at the male professionals and megastars, while the girls admire the female professionals and megastars.
Well, my observation strays from that. First off, it's personally felt. I have drawn inspiration from females my entire life — whether it be my mother, or my younger sisters.
My short, still-image film “FROM WHOM WE DRAW INSPIRATION” (embedded below) captures an enticing, hidden narrative revolving around the inheritance of toughness. In the heat of just another battle — girls playing no-pads tackle football at the local park — a young boy in pink on the sidelines can't hide his admiration, and can't wait to deploy what he's learned.
Influence doesn't just flow downhill from the megastars. It runs both ways — and most of the industry isn't watching for it.
From Whom We Draw Inspiration
He had to learn it from somewhere.