Sports Business | The GIST

Parity survey shows higher fan engagement around women athletes ahead of the Winter Olympics

On Monday, women athlete partnership platform Parity shared results from a survey of almost 12K adults across the U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Australia on how sports fans perceive gender equity in the upcoming Winter Olympics.

February 05, 2026

Rebel Girls doubles down on sports partnership in new AU Pro Basketball deal

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In an exclusive with The GIST today, Gen Alpha girls empowerment brand Rebel Girls (RG) is announcing a new media partnership with Athletes Unlimited’s basketball arm, AU Pro Basketball (AUBB). While basketball has been a priority for RG, evidenced by activations with A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu, this is the brand’s first foray into hoops at the organizational level.

February 03, 2026

How Naomi Osaka’s legacy off the court rivals her accomplishments on it

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The intrigue surrounding Naomi Osaka goes far beyond tennis. Born to a Japanese mom and Haitian-American dad, Osaka trained diligently to become one of American tennis’ top stars.

January 31, 2026

New WNBA franchises embrace winning marketing tactics as they build local hype

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Though the WNBA’s 2026 season schedule remains up in the air due to ongoing CBA negotiations, forthcoming W franchises are rolling ahead with preseason marketing campaigns.

January 29, 2026

Kynisca becomes FIFA Women's Champions Cup title partner

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This week, the inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup — the sport’s first-ever intercontinental club competition for women — is fielding its final rounds in London, England. The months-long tournament hasn’t exactly received mainstream media coverage, but that may change thanks to Kynsica’s new title sponsorship.

January 27, 2026

The brands backing a 24-year-old’s push for the Olympics

Annika Malacinski has the kind of Olympic story media outlets and marketers dream of. The 24-year-old daughter of a ski instructor grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado — one of the only areas in the U.S. with the infrastructure to facilitate Nordic combined, a marriage between cross-country skiing and ski jumping.

January 24, 2026

New Deloitte report highlights lucrative WSL landscape as league attracts top talent

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January 22, 2026

The year-round marketing power of Eileen Gu illustrates opportunity around Olympic, Paralympic athletes

Sports Business

The year-round marketing power of Eileen Gu illustrates opportunity around Olympic, Paralympic athletes

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January 17, 2026

The Olympics have a marketing problem: While passion for the Summer Games is a worldwide phenomenon, it’s only accessible to brands every four years. It’s even worse for the Winter Olympics, which has fewer marketing dollars and less media attention, demonstrating that brands often fail to harness the total appeal of winter sports.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #528

Our favorite Milano Cortina Olympic storylines

February 05, 2026

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Our favorite Milano Cortina Olympic storylines

The Games are almost here!

It’s the pod you’ve all been waiting for: It’s time to preview the major storylines ahead of the Milano Cortina Olympics. The Opening Ceremony is tomorrow, and a few events are already underway in Italy. We could chat for hours about all the great athletes competing in this year’s Games, but for our purposes, we’ll focus on a few major storylines in this episode, including equality at the Games, the construction issues still plaguing the events, and of course, the athletes you need to know.