British men’s attitudes to women’s sport have changed considerably in the past five years, according to research by StubHub UK.
The recent survey suggests that more than a quarter of men (28%)* are now more likely to watch women’s sports than they were five years ago, with the summer of amazing sporting action – including World Cup competitions in football and netball – thought to be helping with the attitude change.
StubHub UK sales data showed that demand for tickets to ladies’ semi finals and finals at Wimbledon has been 23% higher than for men’s matches since 2016.
Whilst Roger Federer remains a fan favourite, Britons are more excited to see Serena Williams play than reigning men’s champion Novak Djokovic and French Open champion Rafael Nadal. Fans are also five times more interested in watching a game involving Serena than Dominic Thiem, following their highly publicised disagreement over a press conference at the French Open.*
Top ten most inspirational sportswomen of all time:
1 – Jessica Ennis-Hill – Heptathlon
2 – Serena Williams – Tennis
3 – Martina Navratilova – Tennis
4 – Paula Radcliffe – Marathon
5 – Tanni Grey Thompson – Wheelchair athlete
6 – Steffi Graf – Tennis
7 – Nadia Comaneci – Gymnastics
8 – Victoria Pendleton – Cycling
9 – Ronda Rousey – UFC
10 – Yelena Isinbayeva – Pole Vault
StubHub UK also polled Britons on the most inspirational sportswomen of all time, with tennis players dominating the list.
