The GIST

Fubo rolls out its Women's Sports Zone as FAST channels cover the women’s game

Sports-focused FAST channel Fubo recently launched its Women's Sports Zone while touting highly-customizable ad campaigns for brands. Inspired by viewers’ interest in women’s sports, Fubo found a way to activate in the space without having any direct media rights for a major league.

May 23, 2025

E.l.f. continues to consider women fans of men’s sports through NASCAR partnership

We’ve seen makeup brands go big in women’s sports lately, including E.l.f.’s support of the PWHL and Overtime Select. But the brand’s decision to rev up its investment in NASCAR, coupled with previous NFL activations, shows that catering to women who follow men’s sports is a unique and effective way to reach a historically overlooked demo.

May 23, 2025

The GIST and Barbarian team up for a data-powered report on the ROI in women’s sports

This week, The GIST debuted a new report in partnership with NYC agency Barbarian that explores the proven interest and investment potential in women’s sports. The report delineates the paradigm shift in how the category is considered, the intense audience engagement among women’s sports fans, and identifies trends to keep an eye on.

May 21, 2025

2025 media upfronts shed light on 2024 wins for sports networks and streamers

Last week, broadcast networks and streamers shared a glimpse into current strategies during the 2025 Upfronts in NYC. Companies like NBC, Amazon, Netflix, and Disney all observed the same trend: It’s smart to double down on live sports because of the impressive engagement the industry generates, both from viewers and advertisers.

May 19, 2025

New data on UK fans shows vast majority are keen on the women’s game

A new data report from Sky Sports — the UK’s largest investor in media rights across women’s sports properties — proves women’s sports are very mainstream, with 80% of UK fans expressing interest in at least one women’s sport.

April 30, 2025

Designer brands Coach and Miu Miu seek women athletes to promote new collections

The overlap between luxury fashion and women’s sports continued this week with two designer-driven deals that recruited popular women athletes. On Wednesday, Coach revealed its athlete roster for its latest sneaker campaign, while New Balance (NB) furthered its Miu Miu collab the same day by debuting a Coco Gauff collection.

April 25, 2025

Pro Padel League CEO Mike Dorfman discusses the sport’s marketing allure

Last month, Pro Padel League (PPL) — the top U.S. professional padel league — raised a $10M seed round led by Left Lane Capital, a VC firm backing other startup leagues like LOVB and Shaun White’s Snow League. This week, we spoke with PPL CEO Mike Dorfman about why investors and sponsors are seizing the padel opportunity in the U.S.

April 25, 2025

Sports Business

Aflac plays on brand success in closing the gender wage gap in women’s sports

April 18, 2025

Yesterday, insurance company Aflac detailed the expansion of its existing WNBPA partnership, which includes increasing the prize pool at WNBA All-Star competitions this summer. Aflac’s creative — and visible — campaign illustrates the continued opportunity for brands to benefit from making big plays to close the gender pay gap.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #462

Unpacking the WNBA CBA negotiations

May 27, 2025

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

It’s time to negotiate.

The WNBA season is in full swing, but there’s an even spicier battle brewing off the court. The WNBPA (aka, the WNBA players union) is currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the league to outline the rules that govern the WNBA. In this episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz establish the timeline leading up to this pivotal moment for the WNBA, as well as explore what the players are asking for — and how the league may make their wishes come true. A slam dunk.

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