Basketball

WNBA reportedly prefers Houston over bids to keep Connecticut Sun in New England

This week, Front Office Sports (FOS) shared updates on the ongoing saga surrounding the sale of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. In early August, weeks after Steve Pagliuca pledged a record $325M to bring the Sun to Boston, FOS reported the Mohegan Tribe approved the deal, but the W never did.

August 15, 2025

Relo Metrics CEO Jay Prasad shares 2025 WNBA season insights on sponsorship media value

🏀

Last year, Relo Metrics spoke with The GIST about its first year of tracking sponsor media value (SMV) in the WNBA. On Wednesday, we checked in with company CEO Jay Prasad on how the 2025 season so far compares with an explosive 2024 season that generated $136M in SMV for league sponsors.

August 01, 2025

Overtime Select shares engagement metrics ahead of its second season’s tip-off

🏀

Season two of Overtime Select — the high school girls’ basketball tournament launched by Gen Z sports brand Overtime (OT) last year — tips off on Saturday, so we spoke with OT about its growth numbers and the ROI for brands that want to capitalize on the next generation of women’s basketball stars.

August 01, 2025

Caitlin Clark card shatters records as the WNBA superstar transforms the women’s sports trading cards landscape

🏀

The Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark has shattered records once again — or at least her likeness has. Last Thursday, a signed one-of-one Panini trading card depicting Clark sold for $660K, beating the previous $366K record set by another of Clark’s Panini cards in March. Let’s explore how Clark has recalibrated the memorabilia market with her unparalleled WNBA stardom.

July 28, 2025

SponsorUnited CEO Bob Lynch shares insights on inaugural WNBA Partnerships Report

🏀

Yesterday, sponsorship insights platform SponsorUnited released its inaugural WNBA Partnerships Report, covering 12 WNBA teams over 2024 season and the 2025 season so far. The report — which Lynch says has been three years in the making — notes a 17% surge in deals during the 2025 WNBA season alone.

July 25, 2025

WNBA teams lead the way in social media engagement among pro sports teams

🏀

Earlier this month, Sports Business Journal shared data from sponsorship analytics platform Blinkfire on social media engagement among professional North American sports teams. Eight of the top 10 are WNBA teams, led by the Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, and Golden State Valkyries.

July 23, 2025

Viral success of WNBA’s StudBudz proves the power of authentic, player-driven storytelling

🏀

The WNBA’s All-Star Weekend (ASW) drove a variety of online conversation, from ongoing CBA negotiations to the proliferation of StudBudz, the player-powered shared social media profile that offered an entertaining inside look into ASW.

July 21, 2025

Sports Business

Portland Fire unveils team branding amid mixed fan reactions

🏀

July 16, 2025

Yesterday, Portland’s WNBA expansion team finally launched its long-awaited brand reveal, showcasing its name and logo as the Portland Fire. While there are some local criticisms about the name, Portland made this decision with significant intentionality, which may have influenced the overall positive response to the name.

Read Full Story

The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #485

Just the beginning: Breaking down tomorrow’s WNBA Canada Game

August 14, 2025

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Just the beginning: Breaking down tomorrow’s WNBA Canada Game

Buckle up.

The WNBA’s first-ever international regular-season game tips off in Vancouver tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET, marking the third Canada Game in the league’s history. Before the Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream battle for Great White North bragging rights (and fight to maintain their playoff positions), tune into today’s episode of The GIST of It to learn about this monumental moment for Canada women’s basketball, the implications for the W’s future expansion plans, and of course, to hear who co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz are rooting for. Swish swish.