Women make up an estimated 45 percent of the NFL’s more than 150 million American fans and have become perhaps pro football’s most valuable players. Female fans, a group beloved by advertisers, represent the league’s biggest opportunity for growth. Keeping these women spending has become a chief goal of the NFL, which has funded research, expanded merchandising and sponsored spreads in women’s magazines.
But crisis after crisis, from a string of lawsuits accusing some NFL teams of underpaying cheerleaders to the Ray Rice scandal, now threaten to undermine the league’s efforts to expand beyond its saturated boys’ club and attract new female fans. League watchers are beginning to wonder: Will women forgive the NFL?
“The value of women in professional sports as fans matters more than ever before. The real question is: Will that group of women put two and two together?” said Wendy Murphy, a former prosecutor and New England Patriots cheerleader who now runs the Women’s and Children’s Advocacy Project in Boston.
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