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Being a fan of women’s sport should be about the excitement of the game, not a hunt to find where the game is on. For supporters who want to follow their favorite athletes, visibility is part of the experience: the broadcast, the highlight, the conversation and the chance to see a new star emerge.
That is the opening Canadian Tire is using for its national “We’ll Make a Fan Out of You” push. The Canadian retailer has reached a pledge to direct at least half of its professional sport sponsorship spending to women’s sport and is now placing its weight behind helping audiences find, watch and support it.
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The visibility gap behind the campaign
Canadian Tire cites findings from Canadian Women & Sport’s 2026 research showing that 75% of Canadians say they are fans of women’s sport, while 62% of fans say they do not know where to find the sports they want to watch. These figures describe the wider audience challenge, not measured results of Canadian Tire’s new advertising.
There is an important difference between people liking the idea of women’s sport and knowing when to tune in. Fans need familiar faces, schedules, media coverage and opportunities to become invested in a team or rivalry. An advertising campaign can point them toward those experiences, but the sport also needs distribution.
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Athletes give the rallying cry a face
Created by Publicis Canada, the campaign features well-known athletes Hayley Wickenheiser, Kia Nurse, Vicky Mboko, Christine Sinclair and Marie-Philip Poulin. Their presence bridges different sports and generations, showing the range of talent that Canadian audiences can follow.
The title, ‘We’ll Make a Fan Out of You,’ is a playful challenge rather than a corporate pledge. It asks viewers to engage with the quality and personalities of women’s competition. That creates a more direct invitation than simply asking consumers to applaud a sponsor for backing equality.
From sponsorship pledge to fan access
Canadian Tire first announced its 50/50 goal in 2023 and says it has now met it. The company describes itself as the only major Canadian business to publicly declare an equal investment commitment across women’s and men’s professional sport. That is a company-stated distinction, not a ranking independently established by this article.
The next phase goes beyond advertising. Canadian Tire is becoming presenting partner of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, placing women’s hockey alongside one of the country’s most established sports viewing habits. Canadian Tire and SportChek are also founding partners of the PWHL and Northern Super League and an official partner of the Toronto Tempo.
For the brand, these relationships connect the campaign message with real places to watch and follow the sports. For viewers, that is a more useful step than another message about how women’s sport deserves recognition.
What marketers can learn
This campaign makes a distinction marketers sometimes miss: investing in a cultural property and helping people participate in it are not the same job. The sponsorship milestone provides credibility, while the athlete-led creative gives audiences a reason to pay attention. Broadcasting and media partnerships can then make the interest actionable.
It also suggests why modern sports marketing needs a longer horizon than a launch film. Fans form relationships over seasons, through recurring competitions and the gradual discovery of teams and athletes. A brand that wants to be associated with that experience has to support regular access, not just one celebratory campaign.
Canadian Tire has not reported the new campaign’s reach, viewership uplift or sales impact. The meaningful test will be whether more people discover games they can actually watch and return to. For marketers, the lesson is straightforward: build the audience experience behind the big brand message.
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