Good vibes only

The GIST: On Tuesday, The Women’s Game — the women’s soccer side of the Men In Blazers (MiB) Media Network — released its first capsule collection in collaboration with Olipop (with an assist from Yeti) for its popular podcast, Good Vibes FC.

• While MiB podcasts have leaned into limited merch drops before with brands like Adidas and Umbro, this is the first time a podcast sponsor has shown up, indicating how these companies are looking to utilize pods and capitalize on merch opportunities. Everybody wants some.

The podcast landscape: In recent years, podcasters have begun to capitalize on fans that reward shows with loyal consumerism. Research shows podcast listeners engage highly with advertisers, so podcasters are now offering merch to these dedicated fans. In May, Good Vibes FC released hats and totes at a live event in Seattle.

• MiB told The GIST yesterday that when its shows have released merch, it’s often been limited collections tied to a release — a smart move from a production standpoint and considering Gen Z trends (they love a good drop). So while podcasts collaborating with apparel brands and athletes is nothing new, releasing merch with sponsors is a fun twist.

The beverage landscape: Non-alcoholic (NA) brands are buzzing around sports, with the category spending $311M in the past year. In SponsorUnited’s March report, NA beverages were the sixth most-active category across six women’s sports leagues, while its recent NWSL partnerships report showed NA brands like LaCroix spent around $3M over the past year.

• NA companies are utilizing health-focused, influencer-driven local campaigns to reach fans, allowing brands like Dunkin, LaCroix, and Olipop to achieve cult-like status. This is how Unwell Hydration played its NWSL deal: Affirming the popularity of soccer’s strong community, it launched Unwell FC, an exclusive fan club present at select games.

Zooming out: What do podcasts listeners and women’s soccer fans have in common? An intense feeling of community. Whether it’s GISTers, Slices, or a good old-fashioned supporter group, women’s sports podcast communities are becoming increasingly important, especially considering the overnight success of soccer-driven pods like The Women’s Game and Re-Cap.

• With that intense culture baked in, these emerging platforms need to appeal to the fan communities that built them up when diversifying their revenue through merch. Snap, crackle, pop.

The GIST: Yesterday, memorabilia authentication platform The Realest announced a unique partnership that celebrates the 85ers, the 17 members of the first-ever USWNT. On the 40th anniversary of the 85ers’ inaugural soccer match, The Realest launched the first memorabilia collection for the team, which recently launched its own LLC.

• While the merch launch is fashionably late, it’s actually very timely to capitalize on this convergence of trends in women’s sports — the market for memorabilia and nostalgia is surging. Still preoccupied with 1985.

The backstory: The 85ers have a compelling journey: When the team played its first match 40 years ago, they competed in pre-worn men’s uniforms. Today, it’s a different story, with the players enjoying a bigger spotlight and their LLC (which all original teammates have equal ownership in) now selling a jersey, t-shirt, hat, and trading card.

The context: Caitlin Clark has completely transformed the WNBA trading card space, but there’s also an appetite in soccer. When Parkside Collectibles debuted the first-ever card series dedicated to women’s soccer, it flew off the shelves. And five years before Funko Pop announced its W partnership, it successfully released USWNT figurines.

• This coincides with Gen Z’s fervent nostalgia for time periods and pop culture moments they don’t remember. While that’s often Y2K and the late ’90s, there’s a clamor for the ’80s in things like Mario’s big-screen appearance, synth’s modern comeback, and Kate Bush’s streaming triumph.

The opportunity: While women athletes have historically struggled to earn stable and sizable paychecks (especially following retirement), the landscape is changing as they seize opportunities to become brand ambassadors and company heads. Serena Williams, Sue Bird, and Candace Parker are carving out spaces in the board room, but athletes are finding ways to get involved at every level.

The takeaway: New opportunities continue to arise as all these factors converge — a nostalgic audience that’s interested in women’s sports and the memorabilia market around them. This is allowing women athletes to capitalize on past events so they can benefit from audiences in a way they never could before. Don’t stop believin’.