A juicy opportunity
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Hey, friend!
It’s only been three months since WNBA All-Star Weekend wrapped in Phoenix, but the league is already prepping for next year. The league announced yesterday that the 2026 WNBA All-Star festivities will take place in Chicago.
- After hosting the event at the Sky’s 10K-seater Wintrust Arena in 2022, Chicago will hold next year’s edition at the 20K-seater United Center, which is home to the city’s NBA and NHL teams.
- The iconic venue hosted two Sky games earlier this year, which helped the team break its franchise attendance record with a crowd of 19.6K in July. Hey now.
WSL
🍎 A juicy opportunity
The GIST: Yesterday, tech giant Apple announced an extensive partnership with the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Super League 2 (WSL 2), the top two tiers of women's pro soccer in the U.K. Through the deal, each team will utilize the latest Apple products to capture and analyze game footage in real time.
- While Apple has an established presence in men’s sports, this marks the brand’s first deal in women’s soccer and its first with a women’s sports league in Europe, signaling that the WSL is a place where brands want to be. Jolly good.
The tech landscape: Apple has inked similar agreements with MLS, MLB, the NHL, and the World Surf League, but it trails other tech companies in terms of supporting women’s sports leagues.
- Google has offered its suite of tech and software services to players and fans in the WNBA and NWSL, not to mention the promotion of its Google Pixel phone in both leagues.
- Longtime Apple competitor Microsoft also has an edge in women’s sports. Although the Seattle-based company is primarily focused on NFL gameday operations, it previously provided Seattle Reign FC’s sideline with its products and continues to support the Atlanta Dream.
The streaming landscape: But Apple doesn’t just have tech to think about: It’s also focused on streaming via Apple TV, which offers content that includes sports like MLS and MLB as well as originals.
- Like other streamers, Apple TV is seeking world domination and is using sports to do that — it’s reportedly nearing a deal with F1.
- Other streamers have the same idea, specifically with European women’s soccer. In May, ESPN leveraged its global access with Disney+ to secure European broadcasting rights for the UEFA Women's Champions League.
- The pitch? Sports tend to drive streaming subscriptions, which could help Disney+ sustain recent gains in the U.K.
Zooming out: Apple could build on its current relationship with the WSL to become a trusted media partner in the future, which could help the WSL reach its aspirations to turn into a global, billion-dollar league. The league is clearly thinking about its reach: After appointing IMG to lead its international media rights efforts, the league nabbed 13 global deals for this season.
- Apple could follow in the footsteps of Disney+ to use women’s soccer as a motivator to subscribe in an expanding European market, but it will take some time for the WSL’s U.K. and European deals to expire.
- However, the WSL’s one-year deal with ESPN will expire at the end of the season, meaning Apple could become the home of the WSL in the U.S. The clock is ticking.
📈 WNBA boasts historic WNBA Finals viewership
The numbers are in: ESPN just wrapped its most-watched WNBA postseason in league history. Across 24 games through the playoffs and finals, WNBA games on ESPN averaged 1.2M viewers, up 5% YoY. The Finals averaged 1.5M viewers, making it the second most-watched WNBA Finals after 2024.
- The continued momentum further proves that the rise in WNBA fandom goes far beyond the Caitlin Clark effect.
🍌 Expedia shares insights on how local sporting events appeal to travelers
This week, travel booking website Expedia shared new data insights on travelers in its latest annual report. This year’s report notes how users are increasingly using Expedia’s Fan Voyage platform, which allows sports fans to indulge in fan experiences while traveling.
- After gathering data from 24K travelers around the world, 57% of them report interest in attending a sporting event while traveling, which rises to 68% among Gen Z and millennial travelers.
- The most popular sports experiences for tourists? Sumo wrestling in Japan, curling in Canada, Australian Rules Football in Australia, and Banana Ball in the U.S.
✨ Victoria’s Secret enjoys a runway revamp by tapping pro athletes for the first time
On Wednesday, the annual Victoria’s Secret (VS) Fashion Show took place with two new angels waiting in the wings: WNBA star Angel Reese and Olympic gold medal gymnast Suni Lee. This marked the first time pro athletes have walked in the acclaimed show, which is working to regain cultural relevance under new executive direction.
- Male athletes have shaken things up on the runway before, with NFL quarterback Joe Burrow recently walking the runway for Vogue and F1 champion Lewis Hamilton walked for Tommy Hilfiger in 2018 to debut his capsule collection with the brand.
- This tracks with how women athletes are being increasingly seen as trendsetters, with Reese paving the way with historic firsts in Vogue, at the Met Gala, and branch relaunches with Reebok and Juicy Couture. And one.
🐾 Nulo became the official pet food sponsor for U.S. Figure Skating following its deals with Team Canada and several Olympic and Paralympic winter athletes.
⛳ WNBA star and Gainbridge athlete Caitlin Clark will rejoin The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican for the second straight year after Clark drew serious crowds at last year’s event. The perfect crossover.
👕 The NWSL’s Boston Legacy FC announced a multiyear front-of-kit partnership with popular retailer TJ Maxx.
👟 Sports apparel giant Adidas extended its deal with the WNBA, NBA, and G League, looking to align the brand with ascending young players.
📺 Netflix inked a deal to feature 16 of Spotify’s podcasts as the streaming platform makes its first play in hosting video podcasts. Queue the applause.
🌴 Port St. Lucie, Florida, will field a men’s United Soccer League franchise with a women’s team to follow as the USL continues to identify small-sized soccer markets with white space, like Boise, Idaho.
🏐 The Major League Volleyball (now merged with Pro Volleyball Federation) team in Dallas unveiled its new name and logo as the Dallas Pulse while announcing its new home court venue in Frisco.
Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
🎧 What to listen to
Let Her Shoot by The Daily W Sports. This unfiltered pod dives deep into the wildest, boldest, and most game-changing stories in women’s sports, offering opinionated and raw coverage.
📰 What to read
This Bloomberg Business piece. Following a landmark federal settlement over name, image, and likeness (NIL), universities like Ohio State are under pressure to find new ways to raise revenue in order to pay their athletes.
🏀 What to check out
This article from New Yorker Mag columnist Louisa Thomas. She writes about WNBA star Napheesa Collier's blistering critique of league leadership, arguing that the gap between the players driving the league's record-breaking value and their compensation has brought the WNBA to a turning point.
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