A stroke of genius
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Monday!
Congrats to the Kansas City Current, which took home the NWSL Shield for the first time in franchise history and quicker than any other NWSL team ever. The Current also did it in front of a sellout crowd at CPKC Stadium, which averaged its 11.5K max capacity last season and has sold out every home game since opening last year. So many reasons to celly.
WNBA
💰 Playing keep-away
The GIST: This weekend, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson made WNBA history by winning the league’s MVP award for a record fourth time, shortly after earning her third WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) and warranting the first-ever share of the award.
- At 29, Wilson is at the top of her game — yet she hasn’t commanded the same kind of sponsorship attention as the talented (but still unproven) Caitlin Clark, a reality shaped by ongoing disparities in WNBA athlete marketing. Let’s dive in.
The accolades: Additionally, Wilson is a two-time WNBA champ and the 2023 Finals MVP. She was named the 2018 Rookie of the Year, is a four-time All-WNBA First Team honoree, and outside of the 2020 “Wubble” season, Wilson has made the All-Star Game every year. This is all after graduating from Dawn Staley’s South Carolina program, which built a statue in her honor and retired her jersey.
The sponsorships: Wilson is already at that stage of a legendary athlete where she is getting prestige deals — she’s a Chase ambassador and the first-ever global ambassador for the Jr. WNBA. For brands highlighting traits like excellence and legacy, Wilson is a top pick, something Nike anticipated when building a two-year campaign around a shoe that sold out in under five minutes.
- Although she’s endorsed approximately 30 brands, Wilson’s sponsorship profile doesn’t take full advantage of her star power. Early on, she bagged brand deals no other W player had, but she’s not ranked among the top 10 most-endorsed women athletes in 2024-25 nor the top five most-endorsed WNBA athletes in 2025, per SponsorUnited.
The context: Despite all this momentum, Wilson entered the WNBA at a transitional point in women’s sports history. Although she’s garnered Michael Jordan comparisons for her unparalleled résumé, her current sponsorship portfolio doesn't necessarily correlate with her on-court accolades, something Wilson herself has said is “100% about race”.
- Critics have pointed out how white players like Clark, Cameron Brink, Paige Bueckers, and even fellow WNBA vet Breanna Stewart have gained more sponsorship deals, especially after Clark’s $28M signature shoe deal with Nike was announced before Wilson’s signature line was confirmed.
- It's also worth noting that this younger generation of athletes that entered college after Wilson embraced a new world of NIL opportunities. They stepped into the W with marketing and brand hype behind them without spending years proving it on the WNBA court — even though Brink was injured all of last year and Clark was injured much of this year.
Lingering questions: Arguably, as the face of the WNBA (or at least one of its most famous ones), it’s worth wondering why Wilson isn’t the face of more brands. Is she “too big” to take on small deals? Or are brands simply more interested in associating with Gen Z athletes with bigger social media followings on surging platforms like Instagram and TikTok?
- Wilson’s success should transcend this: Despite prestigious deals with Nike, Gatorade, and Chase, there’s a lot left on the table compared to the numerous sponsorships banked by peers. Seven years in, there’s still much to come with Wilson, and she should have more significant deals in her future — Clark isn’t the only one with Jordan-level marketing potential.
Together With Columbia University
🎓 It’s time to level up your sports career
Ready to give your résumé a Big Apple boost? Then register for Columbia University’s Sports Management Conference on October 16th, hosted by the school’s acclaimed Sports Management Master’s program — the only Ivy League curriculum of its kind.
- Don’t miss out on your chance to learn from the sharpest minds in the industry, like Jay Marine, the VP of Prime Video and Monica Ellingson, a partner at IBM Consulting and its Sports and Entertainment Practice Lead. Snag your early bird ticket today.
🗽 FCC head Brendan Carr may wield influence in Yes Network’s Comcast negotiations
It seems no ball is out of play for the FCC chairman, who’s currently under scrutiny for his suspected influence in Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension. This weekend, Front Office Sports noted that Yes Network — home of the NY Liberty, Brooklyn Nets, and NY Yankees — is in the midst of a carriage dispute with Comcast and that Carr may be involved.
- In the spring, Carr publicly pushed for a deal between Yes and its current cable provider, and last month, he was spotted in the network’s booth after throwing out the first pitch at a Yankees game. And this wouldn’t be the first time he’s affected the sports world — last month, he influenced the outcome of a dispute between YouTube and Fox. Interesting.
📈 Minnesota Lynx sees massive uptick in YoY ticket revenue
In a report yesterday, Front Office Sports explored the Minnesota Lynx’s ticket revenue growth in recent years. It’s a different ballgame these days: The franchise renewed over 90% of season-ticket memberships, leading to a 76% jump in YoY full-season ticket revenue. Additionally, partial-plan ticket revenue rose 89% YoY and overall ticket revenue has increased 134% since 2023.
🎟️ FTC sues Live Nation, Ticketmaster for price-gouging
On Thursday, the FTC and a group of state attorneys general sued Ticketmaster and its parent company with a litany of serious claims. This includes allegations that the platform advertises lower ticket prices for events than what consumers eventually must pay and falsely imposes limits on ticket inventory.
- The groups also allege that Ticketmaster colludes with ticket brokers so they can obtain large swaths of tickets and resell them at substantially higher prices on Ticketmaster’s platform, costing consumers billions and boosting the ticket company’s bottom line with the extra fees. The price is (not) right.
▶️ YouTube has paid out at least $100B to content creators on the platform since 2021. Show us the money.
👕 Memorabilia authentication platform The Realest launched its second Unrivaled auction, giving fans the opportunity to bid on game-worn apparel from the women’s basketball league.
💼 Gotham FC appointed former Angel City FC executive Kari Fleischauer as its chief operating officer.
⛳ Amazon Prime Video won broadcasting rights for the 2026 Masters Tournament, which will have 50% more media coverage than it did in 2024. A stroke of genius.
💻 Software platform (and PWHL partner) Greenfly announced a multiyear extension of its partnership with the Big Ten to provide college athletes with its digital tools.
🏓 The National Padel League is launching a USA National Team League, which will be the first amateur padel league in the U.S. amid the sport’s rapid growth.
⚽ Former WSL coach Matt Beard, who was integral to building a championship program at Liverpool, passed away this weekend.
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
⚾ What to shop
The Fear of God x MLB collection. Fear of God has launched a multi-year partnership with Major League Baseball, bringing its signature silhouettes and modern detailing to fan apparel and blending the worlds of high fashion and sport.
⚡ What to read
This edition of Women’s Health Magazine. In a new feature, Seattle Storm point guard Skylar Diggins opens up about "upleveling all aspects of her game" with a focus on defense. As a mom of two, she’s also been leading change off the court, championing better maternity protections and advocating for better pay and resources for players.
🏀 What to check out
TIME’s Latino Leaders of 2025. Karl-Anthony Towns is featured for representing his Dominican mother, a country he has forged close ties to since first competing for the national team at 15. The basketball star hopes to represent the Dominican Republic at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Today's email was brought to you by Aryanna Prasad Bhullar and Briana Ekanem. Fact checking by Bonnie Lee. Operations by Elisha Gunaratnam and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Molly Potter and Ellen Hyslop. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.