Christina McHale Playing Major Role in Rise of Female Sponsorships in Sports

Sponsorships for women in sports have been slowly improving over the past several years. Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Danica Patrick definitely set the bar high, but there are others who are making strides that deserved to be recognized.

American tennis player Christina McHale is the perfect example of the rise of female sponsorships in sports.

As of November 2011, in an article done by Owen Gibson of The Guardian, women’s sports attract only 0.5 percent of all sponsorships in the world.

That figure can only go up from here. McHale is looking to be a difference maker in that area.

“The best way I can assist in continuing the rise of female notoriety in the world of sports is by always giving 100 percent when I am competing and by carrying myself well on and off the court," she told me in an interview.

McHale is currently ranked No. 36 in the world and No. 2 in the United States. She has defeated the likes of No. 4 Petra Kvitova and No. 23 Shuai Peng this year.

The 20-year-old from Teaneck, New Jersey is certainly on the rise in women’s tennis and companies have recognized the positive image she would bring to their company.

Since the age of 15, McHale has been involved with two sponsorships. Her latest deal, Buddy Fruits, is something that she has been involved with for the past two months.

“They are a company which makes all natural healthy fruit snacks in the form of really convenient squeezable pouches and fruit bites," McHale said. "I love to eat them not only on the court for extra energy, but also at home or on the road as a snack. I am thrilled to be associated with them."

Women’s tennis seems to be the most popular sport in terms of a world-wide audience for women. Women’s soccer may be in the discussion, but the World Cup only comes once every four years.

Most of today’s popular women’s athletes come from women’s tennis. The better McHale performs on the court, the more sponsorships she will most likely receive. 

“Women's tennis is very competitive right now, and with more tournaments being shown on TV, people, and in particular sponsors, are seeing the strength of the competition,” she said.

“Women's tennis has continued to become a lot more powerful and fast-paced, which I believe has made the game that much more exciting to watch.”

If McHale continues to improve as a professional tennis player, more sponsorship opportunities will follow.

The opportunity for her to thrive is there. It's up to her to see how far she can take it.