Batter up
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hey friends!
Softball is hitting it out of the park this summer as the AUSL and its big-name partnerships officially tee off next week. And it’s also a good time to be in the women’s game on the college side: ESPN (via ABC) just notched two of the three most-watched non-final Women’s College World Series (WCWS) games last weekend.
- Saturday’s matchup between Oklahoma and Texas Tech averaged 1.7M viewers and peaked at 2.2M, while Sunday’s UCLA–Tennessee showdown averaged 2.2M viewers with a 3.9M peak. Batter up.
Women’s sports bars
🍺 Beer and there
The GIST: Yesterday, Portland-based women’s sports bar The Sports Bra named the first four cities for its forthcoming expansion. Since opening in 2022, The Sports Bra has spurred a movement of independent women’s sports bars popping up across the U.S. and is now looking to become a multi-city franchise of its own.
- This nationwide growth shows how women’s sports fans are clamoring to find community, which aligns perfectly with the sports bar concept and presents key opportunities for brands hoping for an in with avid women’s sports fans. Bar down.
The details: After announcing franchise plans last spring, the brand is opening bars in Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and St. Louis. The Sports Bra cited the rise in women’s pro football, basketball, hockey and soccer teams in these cities as reasons for the selections.
The landscape: While restaurants famously have a high failure rate, opening a sports bar can be a potentially lucrative venture even though it’s a niche category: There were only about 1.5K in the U.S. in 2023 among 63K bars.
- Even though women’s sports bars are more niche, the concept is catching on. The number of bars has been rapidly rising and is expected to go from six in early 2025 to two dozen by the end of the year as women’s sports fans crowd existing bars.
- This mirrors the recent increase in media coverage — a bar showing women’s sports 24/7 is only possible if women’s sports are actually on TV. According to our findings with Barbarian, media coverage has increased 275% in the past five years and women’s sports generated a 300% revenue increase between 2022 and 2024. Onward and upward.
The takeaway: Avid women’s sports fans are more likely to buy tickets, merch, and subscriptions to watch sports, but not every fan can catch games in person. When these avid supporters do have an opportunity to meet, they show up in droves — something Unwell’s Alex Cooper anticipated in her hydration company’s recent activation at a Bay FC game.
- Brands like Ally have already begun to harness the power in partnering with these bars and getting messaging in front of these fans, but there’s still many opportunities available in the space to reach a smaller, close-knit community that may be primed to like and subscribe. Here for the party.
Together With McLaren and Mastercard
🧡 The racing experience of a lifetime
On the hunt for the ultimate McLaren Formula 1 Team fan experience? That search stops now: Our pals at Mastercard are hosting an exclusive Mastercard Ultimate McLaren Fan Experience on June 11th at the luxurious Four Seasons Montréal, aka the perfect setting to gain insight and gear up for Canada’s race weekend.
Here’s what’s on the agenda:
✅ Discuss high-performance leadership during a fireside chat with a McLaren Formula 1 Team driver
✅ Sharpen that competitive edge with state-of-the-art racing simulators and the notoriously tricky Batak board
✅ Savor delectable bites and bevvies while connecting with likeminded folks
Mastercard is all about bringing people closer to their passions by providing access to extraordinary experiences. Enter here for your chance to experience this with McLaren and Mastercard — just don’t forget to pack that Papaya orange.
👟 New Balance rolls out latest colorway for Coco Gauff’s signature shoe
Tennis star Coco Gauff’s sports apparel sponsor New Balance revealed its latest colorway for her two signature shoes — the CG2 and the Coco Delray — ahead of Wimbledon this month. As with Gauff’s other tennis-inspired shoe colorways, the white and green kicks are an homage to the classic British tournament. Game, set, and match.
🏆 CBS obtains Women’s Champions League U.S. rights after DAZN deal expires
After DAZN’s global rights to the European women ’s soccer tournament expired, Disney+ nabbed the European rights while CBS secured them stateside. The American network now owns broadcasting rights for the tournament through 2030, along with several UEFA tournaments and Concacaf and WSL games as it continues its quest to become the U.S.’s home for global soccer.
⛰️ Denver’s NWSL team announces business development, celebrity support
Last Thursday, Denver’s NWSL expansion team named former NC Courage executive Curt Johnson as its inaugural general manager. But that’s not the only big news from the Mile High City: Yesterday, legendary Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning joined the team’s ownership group. Who doesn’t love a cosign?
💸 For the first time, Michele Kang was listed on Forbes’ 10th annual ranking of America’s Richest Self-Made Women. Making it.
🇲🇽 Mexico has reportedly teamed up with the U.S. to co-host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup as the U.S. remains the only submitted bid for the tournament.
💰 BetMGM is doubling down on a partnership with the Las Vegas Aces, the betting giant’s first with a women’s professional sports franchise as it continues to see a rise in WNBA betting.
🇬🇧 England’s FA is offering a record $2.3M bonus to the Lionesses if the team bags a second consecutive UEFA Women’s Euro title this summer. Jolly good.
🏐 LOVB hired former Madison Square executive Michelle Goldrick as LOVB Pro’s inaugural chief business officer while former HSBC and Morgan Stanley exec Peter Blanks rejoins as LOVB’s first chief product and technology officer.
Recs from our roster!
💪 What’s long overdue
Closing the research gap. Australia is launching a historic research push into women’s sports, with real athlete input on health, performance, and more.
💜 What to wear
Radiant Lilac, aka Sherwin-Williams’ loneliest color. Fashion designer Dapper Dan even created a custom Radiant Lilac-inspired fit for Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers.
🏀 What to learn about
How sports merch became the new celebrity flex. From vintage NY Knicks tees to logo hats, courtside style is looking less glam and more game-ready.
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