LA28 Is Just Two Years Away. The Smartest Brands Are Already Building Their Athlete Strategy.

The countdown to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games has officially begun.

For fans, that means watching ticket announcements, roster predictions, and rising stars. For brands, it means something else entirely: the biggest opportunity in women's sports isn't two years away — it's happening right now.

By the time the Opening Ceremony begins, the athletes who capture the world's attention will already have spent years training, overcoming setbacks, qualifying for their country’s national team, and building loyal communities online. The brands that become part of those journeys today won't just show up during the Games; they'll arrive with credibility that can't be bought overnight.

If you're waiting until 2028 (or even 2027) to think about your Olympic or Paralympic strategy, you're already behind.

The biggest opportunity isn't the Games, it's the journey

One of the biggest misconceptions in sports marketing is that brands need to be an official Olympic or Paralympic sponsor to benefit from the excitement surrounding the Games.

You don't.

While official partners receive exclusive rights to Olympic and Paralympic intellectual property, brands can legally and authentically partner with Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls long before the Opening Ceremony. Those partnerships create years of authentic storytelling, audience growth, and community engagement that culminate when the world's attention turns toward the Games.

That's important because consumers aren't drawn to athletes simply because they win medals.

According to Parity research, the top two reasons U.S. adults trust Olympians and Paralympians as brand ambassadors are:

• Their content feels authentic.
• Their story as a person resonates.

Those qualities aren't built during a two-week event. They're built through years of training sessions, qualification races, comeback stories, setbacks, and breakthrough moments. That's exactly where brands have the opportunity to show up.

Why brands that invest early see bigger returns

The Games spotlight doesn't create athlete fandom, it amplifies it.

When brands begin working with athletes before the Games, they benefit from years of authentic storytelling. Then, when Olympic and Paralympic attention arrives, those partnerships receive an enormous boost in visibility.

The Games spotlight doesn't create athlete brands. It accelerates the momentum they've already built. During Paris 2024, Ilona Maher added more than 2.3 million Instagram followers (236% growth), while Parity athlete Kassidy Cook more than doubled her audience throughout her Olympic journey — from hopeful to silver medalist. And this momentum isn't unique to a handful of athletes or one edition of the Games: Parity's Winter Olympians and Paralympians collectively gained 300,000+ followers during the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, reinforcing that brands who partner early aren't chasing attention, they're growing alongside it.

You don't need an Olympic or Paralympic sponsorship budget to build Games relevance

Many marketers assume the Olympic and Paralympic conversation is reserved for brands spending millions on official sponsorship rights.

In reality, one of the most effective ways to participate in the cultural momentum surrounding LA28 is by investing in the athletes themselves.

The athletes who will become household names over the next two years are already competing, already creating content, already building communities, and already telling stories that fans care about. The question isn't whether they'll become more visible. The question is whether your brand will already be part of that story when they do.

Don't overlook the Paralympic opportunity

July is Disability Pride Month, making it an especially important time to remember that the Paralympic movement continues to be one of the most underutilized opportunities in sports marketing. Paralympic athletes build some of the most engaged and loyal communities in sports, and consumers notice when brands support them.

According to Parity research, one in four U.S. Paralympic fans has made a purchase because of a brand's Paralympic sponsorship or partnership. Why spend just two weeks speaking to one of sports' most loyal audiences when you could spend the next 100+ weeks building trust before LA28?

For brands looking to create meaningful impact while reaching highly engaged consumers, Paralympic athletes shouldn't be an afterthought; they should be part of the strategy from day one.

Consumers are asking brands to invest in women athletes — both Olympians and Paralympians

The opportunity surrounding LA28 isn't just about the scale of the Games. It's about where fan demand is headed.

Parity's latest research found that women's events are as popular as, or more popular than, men's events in 10 of the 15 Winter Olympic sports that feature both competitions. Fans are also actively seeking out more women's sports content, with one in four saying they plan to follow more women's events than they have in previous Games.

That demand extends beyond the Olympics. Among Winter Paralympic fans, 36% say they plan to follow the Games more closely than in the past, and the biggest driver isn't the competition itself — it's the athletes. Their personalities, stories, and authentic connection with fans are the primary reason audiences say they're tuning in.

For brands, that's a powerful signal. Nearly three in four (71%) U.S. Winter Paralympic fans believe marketers should invest equally in women and men athletes, while 60% say Games sponsors still aren't investing enough in women's sports. As brands begin planning for LA28, the opportunity isn't simply to be present during the Games. It's to invest in the athletes and communities that consumers are already telling us they want to support. That's where authentic storytelling begins, and where long-term brand affinity is built.

Six storylines brands should already be watching on the road to LA28

The next generation of Olympic and Paralympic stars isn't waiting until 2028 to make headlines. Here are just a few of the sports and athletes already building momentum.

Softball returns to the Olympic stage

One of the biggest storylines heading toward Los Angeles is the return of softball to the Olympic program. For brands, that means renewed attention on one of America's fastest-growing women's sports and an entirely new generation of stars competing for Olympic roster spots.

At Parity alone, our community now includes nearly 50 softball athletes, with more joining every month. Want a behind-the-scenes look at what the Olympic journey actually feels like? Listen to our conversation with Nicole Mendes on Athlete, Actually, where she shares what representing Team Mexico meant to her and what fans rarely see behind the scenes.

Rugby continues its remarkable rise

Women's rugby has experienced explosive growth in recent years, driven by personalities like Ilona Maher and increasing visibility through the HSBC SVNS Series. Within the Parity community, athletes including Ariana Ramsey, Kristi Kirshe, Lauren Doyle, and Nicole Heavirland represent the next chapter of American rugby. Nicole joined us on Athlete, Actually to discuss what fans don't see behind elite competition and why the journey matters just as much as the destination.

Flag football's Olympic debut creates a rare first-mover opportunity

Few sports represent a bigger opportunity than women's flag football. Making its Olympic debut at LA28, the sport is rapidly adding elite athletes, expanding collegiate opportunities, and building an entirely new fan base. The brands that begin partnering with athletes now have something incredibly valuable by 2028: history.

Instead of introducing themselves during the Games, they'll already have years of authentic storytelling behind them.

Track & field's biggest stories are happening long before the Olympic Trials

Every four years, fans tune into the Olympic Trials. The smartest brands start paying attention much earlier. Athletes like Kimberly Williams, who is pursuing her fifth Olympic Games for Jamaica while returning from an Achilles injury, remind us that the Olympic story isn't just about medals, it's about resilience, longevity, and the pursuit itself. Those are the stories audiences remember.

Paralympians are becoming cultural icons beyond sport

Elite athletes increasingly influence culture far beyond competition. Take Parity athlete Beatriz Hatz. Before millions of viewers discovered her on Love Island USA, our team already recognized her crossover potential as both an elite Paralympian and compelling storyteller. Her appearance introduced an entirely new audience to para sport, and her social following exploded — her Instagram audience grew by more than 2,200% in just 90 days.

Moments like these don't happen in isolation. They happen when sport intersects with culture, and brands that already have relationships in place are positioned to grow alongside those athletes.

Soccer enters a new era

With Emma Hayes leading the U.S. Women's National Team toward both the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup and LA28, roster competition has never been stronger. Established stars, emerging talent, and a home Olympics will make the next two years one of the most compelling cycles in women's soccer history.

Brands: don’t treat this like simply any other tournament. This cycle is an opportunity to invest in athletes while the story is still unfolding.

The brands people remember in Los Angeles won't start in Los Angeles

When the Closing Ceremonies end in 2028, audiences won't just remember who won.

They'll remember:

• The comeback after injury.
• The heartbreaking qualification race.
• The athlete balancing multiple jobs while chasing a dream.
• The first-time Olympian.
• The Paralympian changing perceptions far beyond sport.
• The brand that believed in them before the rest of the world did.

Those stories begin now. The brands that win LA28 won't necessarily be the ones with the biggest sponsorship budgets. They'll be the ones that spent the previous years investing in authentic athlete relationships, building trust with fans, and telling stories worth following long before the medals are awarded.

Ready to build your LA28 strategy?

Whether you're looking to partner with Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, activate around women's sports, or build a long-term athlete marketing strategy, our team can help.