Power to the Fangirls
Breaking stereotypes, shaping the future: The power of the new female fanbase and how it will change projections in elite women's sport, but also in F1, in 2024
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We are all fans of something. Even if not all of them call themselves "fangirls", the admiration for predominantly male sports such as football, the NFL and others follows patterns that could be considered typical of a fangirl (or fanboy, for those who prefer that label). Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Nadal, Federer or Bellingham generate admiration, becoming heroes and references that inspire many boys (and now girls) to buy their jerseys, imitate their moves or even want to attend a match from a young age. This feeling is shared by women for various athletes and sports, but has not yet been normalised in the same way.
Men can express their passion, take off their shirts, meet in bars to enjoy a game, get excited and even get into a few fights between the teams. Because it is socially acceptable and normal. It is considered "Passion". Fangirls, who basically represent the same concept but in a female form, often do not have the same freedom to express themselves in their own way without being judged or having to answer irrelevant questions about their knowledge of the rules or what a player did in 1920. The world of sport is still ( although less and less) predominantly male, and sometimes it seems that permission is needed to fully integrate into its dynamics. But the unique essence of being a fan is in the community, in the shared bond that transcends age, race and gender. From the days of the Beatles to today's Sunday rituals, from the musical phenomenon led by Harry Styles to the unstoppable Taylor Swift, fanaticism unites and creates a bond between people regardless of their background.
The growing presence of women in music and sport is undeniable. We are conquering. According to Forbes, Taylor Swift (Time's Person of the Year in 2023), alongside other top female artists (Adele, Pink and Beyoncé), tripled the sales of the top 10 artists in 2022. This female impact was also reflected in sporting events, with significant increases in sales for the WNBA, women's soccer and the Women's Final Four surpassing men's for the first time. Even Formula 1, has seen impressive growth in the number of new female fans, from 10% in 2017 to 41% (of the 5 million F1 fans) in 2023, according to Salesforce. This data shows a significant shift in demographics, particularly among teenage girls, with Formula 1 being one of the sports with the lowest average age (32 years old).
But there is more. In 2024, Deloitte predicts that elite women's sport will pass the $1 billion milestone for the first time, reaching a projected total of $1.28 billion. This forecast total represents a remarkable increase of at least 300% since Deloitte's last forecast on the subject in 2021. The power of advertising is expected to account for 55% of total revenue growth, and the value of sponsorship in elite women's sport is likely to grow quickly in 2024, boosted by impressive recent evidence of return on investment - something to keep an eye on.
This phenomenon challenges long-held stereotypes and signals a shift towards greater inclusivity in a historically male-dominated sport. While breaking into the world of sport as a female athlete or driver remains a challenge, the voice of the female fan is also trying to find its place. The limited representation of women in F1 as drivers (only Jessica Hawkins driving an F1 for Aston Martin in 2024 for testing purposes and the launch of the F1 Academy) is not facilitating the full integration of women into the sport. The Drive to Survive series has played a key role in the revival of interest in F1, attracting both new viewers and those re-engaged with the sport. However, despite this 31% growth, there remains a misconception that the authenticity of new fans, particularly women, is questionable if their interest has been captured by a Netflix series in 2021.
So what?
The challenge now is to capitalise on this 41% female audience, not just as viewers but as active participants. The inclusion of new personalities, commercial deals and brands that appeal to this segment, (or the "untapped billion" in music and sport as Toni Cowan-Brown refers to it) could be the key to consolidating interest and making Formula 1 a truly inclusive and representative space for its diverse audience. But this is something that the F1 world itself does not yet seem to have understood.
The power of fangirls goes beyond individual admiration; it is the ability to attract other fangirls and transform any sport or event into a shared world of its own. If that space doesn't exist, fangirls have a proven ability to create it: they band together, shop or even create their own merchandising (merchandising is something we'll talk about another time), engage in ongoing online conversations through blogs, podcasts and even storytelling on Wattpad, setting trends and anticipating what's coming commercially and culturally.
Few have understood the new rules of the game, perhaps only Alpine, and beginning to, McLaren. As usual, a misogynistic society has its part to play in all this, but the truth is that they better wake up, because women and fangirls are here, whether they like it or not, to join the game and reinvent it.
