Football

Flag Football World Championships underscore opportunities ahead of LA28

As we wrote in February, flag football participation is surging at the youth level, particularly for girls. There are more opportunities for girls to play flag compared to tackle football, and athletes (and their parents) are drawn to it as a “safer” option. Let’s look at the numbers that support the sport’s grassroots success.

August 22, 2026

WNFC inks multiyear deal with ESPN for title game as broadcast exposure and sponsorship level up the league

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The Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC) announced a multiyear agreement with ESPN yesterday to broadcast its June 21st championship game live on ESPN2. The league has seen recent growth, mostly thanks to increased media exposure and sponsorship, so we chatted with WNFC advisory board member, commentator, and former player Jennifer King to learn more.

June 02, 2026

Everyone is playing (and paying) women’s flag football

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While there’s still higher male participation in the U.S., flag football is rapidly flourishing among women and girls. During the 2023–2024 season, nearly 43K girls played in high school (105% increase YoY), while other data suggests about 500K girls aged 6 to 17 years old participated at some level in 2023.

February 21, 2026

Brands at the Super Bowl are considering women’s sports, women fans more than ever

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Women make their way to Radio Row

February 07, 2026

NFL, Hallmark partnership illustrates potential scripted media opportunity in women’s sports

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This holiday season, the Buffalo Bills aren’t just playing NFL games — they’re the latest team featured in a holiday-themed Hallmark movie thanks to the channel’s NFL partnership.

December 23, 2025

Division races heat up ahead of Week 16 action

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Just like their college counterparts, the stakes are sky-high on the pro gridiron. With only three weeks left in the regular season, the NFL’s playoff picture is beginning to take shape — and three divisions are looking extra spicy in Week 16. Pour a glass of egg nog and let’s discuss.

December 19, 2025

Bad Bunny Super Bowl reactions underscore how Hispanic sports fans remain an overlooked market

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Despite his global appeal and 12 (!!!) Latin Grammy nominations, there’s continued cultural and political controversy over Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl LX halftime performance, with much of the criticism centering around the singer’s set being entirely in Spanish.

October 06, 2025

Instagram and Spotify share data from Taylor Swift’s appearance on New Heights podcast

Sports Business

Instagram and Spotify share data from Taylor Swift’s appearance on New Heights podcast

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August 15, 2025

Earlier this week, Taylor Swift broke the Internet by announcing she would join her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, for the first time to release initial details for her 12th album. Unsurprisingly, early data around Swift’s announcement further demonstrate the power of Swifties crossing over into the sports world.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #589

NFL Week 1 overreactions

September 15, 2026

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Week 1 of the NFL season did not disappoint. The stars shined, the offenses scored a mind-boggling number of touchdowns, and most importantly, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson played absolutely terribly.

To celebrate one of our favorite times of the year, today’s episode of The GIST of It is dedicated to NFL Week 1 overreactions, from the team co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz think will win Super Bowl 61 to the players they consider MVP contenders after one outing.