Full circle moment

The GIST: We’ve seen Olympic popularity spark the growth of year-round leagues, from track & field to fencing. However, the best example may be women’s hockey: As recently as 2022, there was ongoing debate about whether women’s hockey belonged at the Olympics, but the PWHL is helping rewrite the narrative.

• New data from Stubhub illustrates how the leagues like the PWHL and international competitions like the Olympics feed off one another. It’s all the validation we need.

The context: At Beijing 2022, the U.S.– Canada gold medal game drew 3.54M viewers, more than any NHL game that season. This showed the promise of women’s hockey before the PWHL existed, and since the league tipped off in 2024, widespread interest has surged, exemplified by the 2024 IIHF Championship.

The now: Seeing PWHL stars win gold for Team USA in a historic win over Canada drove interest in the league, according to new StubHub data. The gold medal matchup averaged 5.3M viewers and peaked at 7.7M in OT, setting a viewership record for the women’s game.

• Following the win, StubHub saw PWHL ticket searches leap almost 50% overnight above the January baseline and 216% compared to during the Olympics, showing that hockey fans are transferring Olympic hockey interest into PWHL purchase intent. Very high demand.

• Overall, the women’s hockey ecosystem is flourishing. U.S.–based PWHL purchases are up 42% YoY and PWHL ticket demand is up 38% YoY through the first eight weeks of 2026. Brands like The Realest, which is offering game-worn PWHL memorabilia from Olympic stars, are looking to convert fan fervor after the Olympics. We’re so there.

Zooming out: Interest peaks in Olympic moments, and year-round leagues can capitalize and further fuel this interest. The PWHL has been steadily growing, but Team USA was ready to meet the moment when it won gold by building women’s hockey interest more broadly, especially in the U.S. And ahead of LA28, rugby, lacrosse, and flag football all seem to have the same idea.

The GIST: Yesterday, GS Sports — a sports event company that primarily hosts elite youth basketball competitions — announced its first foray into college sports with the Paradise Invitational. This will be a first-of-its-kind NCAA women’s volleyball showcase featuring four top teams facing off in the Bahamas.

• We’ve already seen women’s college basketball (and interested brands) seize the opportunity around elite early-season tournaments. So with the surging interest in women’s college volleyball and the strong ecosystem around it, the sport is primed for such tournaments and increasing brand interest. Nothing like serve, sand, and waves.

The details: The tournament will take place this September at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in Nassau and features one elite program for each Power 4 conference: Houston, Kentucky, Purdue, and SMU. The event, which anticipates high brand interest, plans on offering engaging fan experiences to go along with the luxurious digs and top-notch competition.

The blueprint: Brands like Ally, Aflac, and SharkBeauty have launched early-season women’s hoops tournaments to great success. SharkBeauty doubled down on its event in 2025 with a primetime tipoff on Fox, Ally recently renewed its tourney deal through 2028, and Aflac was one of the first to launch such a tournament in 2023.

• Like basketball, women’s college volleyball has a strong pipeline and fandom that mainstream media is finally catering to, causing huge viewership bumps for its championship tournament. Last year’s tournament on ESPN was its most-watched on record, with the title game averaging 1.4M viewers during an NFL Sunday — second only to 2023’s 1.69M viewers.

• Invitationals give brands the opportunity to show up big (and exclusively) around teams in a marquee event with strong competition — a mini March Madness in a less-crowded calendar spot, if you will.

Zooming out: The Paradise Invitational is a smart way for hospitality and other interested industries to entice fans to come out and enjoy a weekend of sports and sun in the Bahamas. Women’s sports fans have proven to be more inclined to travel for events, and Aflac has seen fans show up all the way in Paris for its tournament.

• More brands in the women’s sports space should be thinking like this and considering how to integrate hospitality opportunities with women’s sporting events. Additionally, more brands should consider hosting their own volleyball tournaments and capitalize on the sport’s boom. Time to stack pancakes.