The dream team
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Hey there!
In the past, we’ve covered how major players like Nike, Dove, Gotham FC, and the Women’s Sports Foundation are working to keep girls in sports. Good news: American girls’ high school athletic participation surpassed 3.5M in the 2024-25 academic year, its highest point ever. While track and field, volleyball, and soccer top the leaderboard, flag football and wrestling are building their rosters.
- Over 68.8K girls played flag last year, a massive 60% YoY jump. And more than 74K wrestled last year, up 15% YoY as nearly 1K schools added programs for girls. So much exposure.
Podcasts
🎾 The dream team
The GIST: On Monday, iconic tennis (and sister) duo Venus and Serena Williams announced the launch of their Stockton Street podcast, which debuts on X today. The podcast — a notable get for X as it competes for original content — celebrates their legendary status through an accessible, storyline-powered medium.
- Sports podcasts featuring retired athletes fare especially well, and in the emerging world of women ’s sports podcasts, the Williams sisters possess a unique perspective and history like no one else. Let’s explore why this move makes cents. When punchlines meet bottom lines.
The details: An ode to their Compton roots, Stockton Street will honor the deep ties between the two, who share a unique bond as both sisters and competitors. The Williams sisters will discuss the details of their lifelong journeys and relationship with one another in bi-weekly episodes — the first one was filmed at the historic Arthur Ashe tennis stadium just before the start of the US Open.
The history: There’s a plethora of books, films, and documentaries about the sisters, including feature film King Richard, Serena’s two-book deal with Random House in 2023, and ESPN docuseries In The Arena: Serena Williams. These works often focus on their on-court successes, but Serena and Venus are also finding ways to monetize their distinct cultural status beyond the court.
- While there’s still a lot to mine through ongoing long-form media deals, podcasts offer a contemporary, low-lift platform with staying power that allows the sisters to reach a wide audience and remain part of the pop culture conversation.
The context: We recently profiled the burgeoning women’s sports podcasting space, noting the medium’s popularity among women and Gen Z listeners. The Williams’ podcast is a surprising pickup for X, which launched original content with Don Lemon, Tulsi Gabbard, and Jim Rome last January before developing X Originals this May.
- The platform seems to be leaning into sports with Keeping The Faith, its first UK–focused series that follows Premier League club Burnley FC but still has a ways to go in terms of roster-building compared to the podcast networks at places like iHeart, Audacy, and Wave Sports & Entertainment.
Zooming out: The true potential of this podcast is its broad appeal — because of the Williams sisters’ iconic identities and the subject matter, this really is a podcast for anyone, not just sports fans. This also seems to be a gap Wave Sports is filling with shows featuring Kylie Kelce, Cameron Brink, and Ilona Maher.
- In fact, Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie has reached No. 1 on Apple and Spotify, featured former first lady Michelle Obama, and averaged 26M weekly social views as of July, all while drawing critical sponsor interest. Big feelings.
🏐 LOVB announces multiyear media rights deal with NBCUniversal’s Versant
Forthcoming NBCUniversal spinoff Versant signed its first exclusive media rights deal with LOVB yesterday, with sports president Matt Hong indicating the volleyball league will be a “cornerstone” of its women’s sports strategy. Under the new agreement, USA Network will exclusively air the league’s Match of the Week and its playoffs in primetime. A winning play.
💄 E.l.f. Cosmetics plays up NWSL partnership with social-driven fan contest
The league’s official makeup and skincare partner teamed up with fan-forward women’s soccer platform Indivisa to kick off a national contest to find soccer’s next star. Finalists win a trip to November’s NWSL Championship Weekend to perform their favorite soccer move in front of a live audience, with one winner crowned as “Pro for the Day” and treated to a VIP experience. Shooting their shot.
🦚 NBC taps Stanley Tucci as latest celebrity Olympic ambassador
Following up its successful strategy employing celebs to promote Paris 2024, NBC announced Monday that Italian-American actor Stanley Tucci (who currently hosts Emmy-nominated Tucci in Italy) will join its coverage of Milano-Cortina 2026. Tucci will create travelogue-style segments spotlighting Italy’s cultural traditions, history, and cuisine.
- February will be a real feeding frenzy for NBC, which is hosting both the Super Bowl and Olympics a week apart. That puts the media giant in a unique position to bundle ad sales for the two major sporting events — and while we don’t know the status of Olympic sales, it’s a promising sign that Super Bowl inventory is sold out. Tutta bella.
💸 The WNBA named Boston-based financial firm State Street Investment Management its official investment management and exchange-traded fund partner. Bank shot.
🧳 NY Liberty luggage partner Away inked a multiyear partnership with guard Sabrina Ionescu in the first-ever collab between a luggage brand and a WNBA player.
🏉 The Women’s Rugby World Cup — hosted in England this year — fielded 7.1M viewers across its group stages on the BBC.
✨ Rugby Olympic medalist and TikTok star Ilona Maher is headlining a new Maybelline New York campaign for the makeup brand’s "Only in Matte Ink" campaign. High impact.
🥇 Former WNBA star Elena Delle Donne was appointed the first managing director of the USA Basketball 3x3 women’s national team.
🚀 Unrivaled named former Underdog CMO Liz Marro as the league’s first chief marketing officer following its recent $340M valuation.
💼 New global women’s soccer tournament World Sevens Football named former WTA Ventures SVP Sarah Cummins as its new CEO.
⚽ The NWSL expanded its existing media rights agreements with CBS Sports and ESPN and added a new partnership with Victory+, a sports FAST channel with MLB and NHL deals. Sweet victory.
Together With Simple App
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- You don’t need a reformer machine to get your burn on — just try Simple App’s wall pilates. Here’s a three-month free trial on us. You’re welcome.
Here’s what passed The GIST squad’s vibe check this week:
🏈 What to read
This piece on the rise of women’s tackle football. Players are punting football’s traditional gender norms as leagues like the Women's Football Alliance (WFA) and Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC) draw new fans and broadcast deals.
👟 What to learn about
The friendship between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bruce Lee. LA Lakers legend Abdul-Jabbar is releasing an Adidas Jabbar Low colorway paying homage to his friendship with the late film icon.
🎾 What to check out
The Williams Family Excellence Program. Venus and Serena Williams partnered with the USTA Foundation to launch a program that will provide mentorship, education, and career pathways for under-resourced youth.
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