In this 25th edition, we learn more about the announced rosters for the Canadian women’s national soccer and basketball teams competing in the Olympics and a projection model for the Olympics that predicts that women athletes will account for 60% of the Team Canada medals potentially won. We also learn more about the newest docuseries, which will be released this week, on the tennis career and life of Serena Williams. Lastly, we learn about a new report on the women’s sports merchandise market.

The stories of the week show young girls in sport and physical activity that:

• We are in for an impressive Olympic games when a projection model shows much success for Canadian women athletes based on their past competition statistics. This also suggests that many of the ecosystems of sports in Canada for young girls and women are generally on the right path, as it’s evident that there is a lot of Canadian talent and the means to support and contribute to the growing success of these athletes. 

 

• The increased releases and availability of women’s sports documentaries and films help tell the stories of these women athletes and prove how crucial this form of media is. So many women’s sports stories deserve to be told. The release of new documentaries should serve as inspiration and proof of continuing to invest in women’s sports through this form of media. 

 

• Having new reports available on a sometimes lacking market for women’s sports merchandise helps highlight the issue further through proof of consumers’ opinions and statistics. The report should be a compelling call to action for brands and leagues to improve the women’s sports merchandise space, especially when consumers are enthusiastic about investing in women’s sports.     

Olympic Rosters Announced for Canada Basketball and Canada Soccer Teams

 

Canada Soccer has released the Canadian women’s national team roster competing in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The 2024 Canadian team will include Sabrina D’Angelo, Kailen Sheridan, Kadeisha Buchanan, Sydney Collins, Vanessa Gilles, Ashley Lawrence, Jayde Riviere, Jade Rose, Simi Awujo, Jessie Fleming, Julia Grosso, Quinn, Janine Beckie, Jordyn Huitema, Cloé Lacasse, Adriana Leon, Nichelle Prince, Evelyne Viens, Gabrielle Carle, Lysianne Proulx, Shelina Zadorsky, and Deanne Rose. 

In the last summer Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 games, the Canadian women’s national team won a gold medal in women’s soccer.

Additionally, Canada Basketball has released their 2024 Canadian women’s national team roster for the Paris Olympics. The 2024 Canadian team will include Natalie Achonwa, Kayla Alexander, Laeticia Amihere, Bridget Carleton, Shay Colley, Aaliyah Edwards, Yvonne Ejim, Nirra Fields, Sami Hill, Kia Nurse, Cassandre Prosper, and Syla Swords.

Swords will be making history by being the youngest basketball player ever to represent Canada at the Olympics.

Adding to the team’s strength, the Canadian women’s team will also feature the four Canadian players currently playing in the WNBA this season (Amihere, Carleton, Edwards, and Nurse).

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will run from July 24 to August 11, 2024. The first Canadian women’s soccer match will be on July 25 at 11:00 AM EST, and the first Canadian women’s basketball match will be on July 29 at 11:15 AM EST.

Canadian Women Athletes Projected to Win 60% of Team Canada’s Olympic Medals

CBC Sports and Nielsen have released an Olympic medal projection that includes Team Canada taking home an estimated overall medal count of 20 medals, with Canadian women athletes projected to take home 12 of those 20 medals. 

The projection model is compiled based on results and statistics from “world championships, World Cups, Grand Prixs, and other important competitions.”

Some of the projections for Team Canada include:

• Swimmer Summer McIntosh to win a gold medal in two of her competition categories
• Shotputter Sarah Mitton to win a silver medal
• The women’s eight rowing team to win a bronze medal 
• The artistic swimming team to win a silver medal

The full Olympic Canadian medal projection model can be viewed here. 

ESPN and Disney Set to Release Upcoming In the Arena: Serena Williams Docuseries

ESPN and Disney’s newest docuseries, In the Arena: Serena Williams, will feature now-retired tennis player, sports owner, and entrepreneur Serena Williams in an eight-episode series that touches on her career and life.

The docuseries is set to release on July 10, 2024. While it’s unclear if it will be available immediately for Canadian Disney+ viewers, the best bet is to keep an eye out on Disney+ on the date of its release and shortly after that.

In the meantime, other women’s sports documentaries and films for Canadian viewers on Disney+ include Serena vs. the Umpire, Matildas, Battle of the Sexes, and Double Teamed.

New Statistics Show Women’s Sports Merchandise Market is Worth $4 Billion Annually

Brands Klarna and Sports Innovation Lab have teamed up to release a new report on the state of women’s sports merchandise named Rep Her: Revealing the Unmet Demand for Women’s Sports Merchandise. 

Some of the main findings in the report gathered from 1,000 sports fans show that:

• 79% of women’s sports fans would buy more merchandise if more options were available.
• Women’s sports fans are 58% more likely to encounter merchandise inventory issues.
• Even without attending a live game, 67% of women’s sports fans still purchased merchandise.
• Women’s sports fans spend more money than men’s sports fans.
• Women’s sports fans made more purchases annually than men’s sports fans.
• When women’s sports merchandise isn’t easily available to fans, it is quite literally slowing and sabotaging the onboarding of new fans.

The report concludes with the call to action that merchandise should be an important consideration for brands, leagues, and teams. Klarna and Sports Innovation Lab suggest that lots of money is being left behind at a crucial time when women’s sports fans are eager to spend it on merchandise.

The full report on women’s sports merchandise can be read here.

 

Kaitlyn’s Sport Stories Recap are written by Kaitlyn Lehbert, a passionate and driven sport advocate for girls and women. Kaitlyn holds her Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Brock University. Learn more about Kaitlyn by clicking here!

Have a sport story you want to share? Contact info@fastandfemale.com and it may get featured in Kaitlyn’s next feature.