A court of misogyny and disrespect
Good morning!
Yesterday’s sports equinox was a great example of this industry’s scale: With so many big games on one night, it was a logistical feat and we can’t wait to see the numbers. The 2025 sports equinox reported nearly 7B minutes of viewership, and didn’t even include a WNBA Finals matchup.
- And speaking of — we knew a major deliberation was afoot between the W and NBA after the series went to six games, but the result still shocked us.
- We’ll get into the details next, then keep reading for more headlines, resources, and job openings for your sports career journey.
WNBA
🏀 Not a Dream, but a nightmare
The GIST: Yesterday, the WNBA announced that Game 6 of the WNBA Finals Game 6 between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will be played at State Farm Arena on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET. After the Valks’ victory last night, this contest could crown a new champion and the decision to hold it in the middle of a weekday drew…intense reactions.
- And although the players aren’t complaining much as they focus on winning a championship, a Finals tip-off this early has serious financial ramifications.
The context: The Dream played its regular season at 4K-seater Gateway Center, but the team upgraded to the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena for the playoffs, which has a capacity of 17K. The arena will be the Dream’s permanent home in 2027, but these Finals have already introduced multiple scheduling conflicts.
- Game 3 was played a day earlier due to a Sombr concert and Saturday’s Game 4 was moved to 1 p.m. ET since the Hawks had a game at 8 p.m. ET that night.
- NBA execs have said moving a game is possible, but not with two days notice. There will be 20 full days between when the Dream swept its semifinal series on October 9th, and the scheduled tip-off for Game 6, but these decisions still seem to be coming down to the wire.
The numbers: Moving a championship series to a weekday afternoon can sacrifice a tremendous amount of viewers. Game 1 averaged 2.1M viewers and peaked at 3M, an 11% increase from the 2025 Finals, while Game 2 dipped to 1.3M despite its primetime spot since it switched from a broadcast network to cable. Now, Game 6 is back on cable and in an unprecedented time slot. Ugh.
The takeaway: The WNBA’s 30th anniversary has been a celebration of growth and greatness, yet it will potentially culminate in a deep logistical failure. Infrastructure is everything for leagues, and this is an unfortunate example that the time to invest in women’s sports was yesterday. Plus, it feels more obvious than ever that we need more women in the room where these decisions are being made.
Together With Canadian Women & Sport
⏰ It’s about damn time
📈 Did you know 75% of Canadians now identify as fans of professional women’s sport? And yet 62% of fans say they don’t know where to watch their favorite sport. The sports industry landscape hasn’t kept pace, which is why Canadian Women & Sport is rallying the ecosystem to build a stronger, more sustainable future for professional women’s sport.
- Their latest It’s Time research report, presented by Canadian Tire, breaks down the seismic shift happening in the Canadian women’s sports industry — and how visibility is a catalyst for sustainable growth.
- The report brings the receipts on why investing in women’s sports is a major win-win. Brands get in on the growth, and women and girls get more opportunities to thrive.
🧊 If you’re looking for cold, hard proof that women’s sports are worth investing in, this report is a must-read — for women’s sports supporters and industry leaders alike. Bring it to your boss, and you could help shape the very future of Canadian women’s sports.
💸 The NWSLPA and the league agreed to drop the restrictions around the High Impact Player rule, opening the door for more women to qualify for max contracts.
🏀 Over 7K fans are expected to travel to Rome for the Eternal City Tip-Off between the men’s and women’s teams of Pope Leo XIV’s alma mater`` Villanova and Notre Dame…and to think it all started with a text.
⚽ Qualified teams for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) in Brazil will receive $2.5M in preparation money, up from $960K in 2023 and equal to what the men were paid.
📺 The Stepback with Blake Griffin debuted on Prime Video last week with the former NBA All-Star giving sports the late-night TV treatment.
👣 Maryland-based footwear company Caddix received some free marketing after Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was fined for displaying its logo on his cleats.
🔷 The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders successfully unionized and began collective bargaining agreements, while also taking legal action against My Chemical Romance after the band featured dancers in costumes resembling the cheerleaders’ iconic look. They’re really not okay.
🎓 CBS Sports dove deep into what it costs to build a successful men’s college basketball program in the NIL age, especially as more players are suing for an extra year of eligibility.
▶️ The.Team announced the Collective Impact Cohort in partnership with Women Leaders in Sports, bringing together five leaders for a year-long experience centered on connection, development, and meaningful engagement.
▶️ ️Congrats to Megan Rose on her appointment to managing director of the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup, where she’ll be instrumental in bringing the tournament to the U.S. for the first time.
▶️ Agatha Godlewski has been promoted to account executive, membership with the Toronto Raptors.
🔓 FanDuel Canada is looking for a brand and content associate who knows how to push marketing projects over the finish line.
🔓 Videos more your thing? The LA Galaxy are hiring a producer to create both long and short-form video content. Views loading.
⚽ Continuing the conversation on the importance of tentpole moments, Parity released a WWC marketing playbook featuring resources, key dates, and strategies to start building your summer game plan. Obrigada.
📰 The Athletic’s profile on Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase has takeaways for any career.
🤝 If you’re heading to the Las Vegas Grand Prix next month, stop by the F1 Business Summit on November 19th. Come for the cars, stay for the insights on the intersection of sports, culture, tech, and business.
📰 Marketing Brew covered how the World Surfing League gathered segmented fan data…without any ticket sales. Creative approaches to audience intelligence, brah.
Today’s email was brought to you by Rachel Fuenzalida and Katie Foster. Fact-checking by Bonnie Lee. Ops by Elisha Ganaratnam. Managing edits by Molly Potter. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.