ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of feminist themes on the marketing activities of NWSL clubs, using critical feminist theory as a framework. In this research, a case study involving interviews of marketing officials of the NWSL about their experiences in marketing professional women’s soccer was conducted to analyse their perspective and experiences in dealing with feminist issues. This was in addition to the researcher’s collection of archival material, including league and team press releases and print and electronic media marketing artifacts. This paper briefly examines critical feminist theory, gender theory, and gender barriers and their association to sport. Following that, a glimpse into how feminist themes have affected marketing of women’s soccer in the past both through the USWNT and in the WUSA and WPS is provided. Research findings are presented on the general marketing practices of NWSL clubs as well as a discussion as to how findings from this study relate to previous findings.
