The GIST

Paige Buecker’s draft entry creates various opportunities for new WNBA sponsors

The hype around projected No. 1 WNBA Draft pick Paige Bueckers is reminiscent of last year’s frenzy around aforementioned Fever star Caitlin Clark. Her entry into the league spurred spending around the Fever, the W, and Clark herself, and it seems the same is expected for Bueckers and her potential landing place, the Dallas Wings

April 14, 2025

Sports Illustrated and Scripps Sports capitalize on women’s sports spend through new competition

On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated (SI) announced the creation of the SI Women’s Games, a six-sport competition scheduled for this fall. The tournament aims to capitalize on the surging popularity of women’s sports and exemplifies media companies working together to innovate ad packaging and scale up advertising inventory in the space.

April 11, 2025

PWHL shares Takeover Tour wins that prove women’s sports should activate out-of-market

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The PWHL shared wins from its first-ever Takeover Tour today, which saw all six teams play games at nine different exhibition sites across the U.S. and Canada. Not only was this a brilliant strategy to market test in potential PWHL cities, but the tour spurred engagement and allowed the league to reach new hockey fans.

April 11, 2025

PWHL and Greenfly partnership illustrates marketing opportunity in tunnel walks

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Since the beginning, the PWHL has been intentional in its development, from signing a CBA before the puck dropped to nabbing early broadcast and founding partners. One of those decisions — a deal with software company Greenfly — has provided insight into how athlete engagement behaviors can shape sponsorship, especially amid the growth opportunity of tunnel walks.

April 09, 2025

🏀 That’s a wrap: women’s March Madness by the numbers

NCAA enjoys strong viewership for women’s March Madness

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While viewership of this year’s NCAA women’s March Madness did dip in the post–Caitlin Clark era, women’s basketball fandom is certainly here to stay. The tournament wrapped with a dominant UConn win over South Carolina and so much more: A sold-out crowd, historic audiences, and promising growth.

April 07, 2025

Chelsea reports record valuation for women’s soccer team amid club restructuring

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This week, Chelsea F.C. shared financial results for the 2023–2024 season, including the valuation for its women’s side. With Chelsea reorganizing its women’s team under subsidiary BlueCo 22 Midco Limited, the WSL club is reportedly worth $257M, making it the highest-valued women’s soccer team in the world — and topping Angel City FC’s $250M valuation.

April 07, 2025

U.S. and UK will bring FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments to top women’s soccer markets

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Yesterday, FIFA confirmed the hosts for the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cup (WWC) tournaments in 2031 and 2035 as the U.S. and the UK, respectively. While these nations were the only ones to submit valid bids by the deadline, the confirmation is still a significant milestone for both burgeoning women’s soccer markets.

April 04, 2025

Sports Business

Emerging brands and platforms make a splash in latest SponsorUnited NIL report

April 04, 2025

On Wednesday, data insights platform SponsorUnited released its 2024–2025 NIL Endorsements Report, which affirms what we already know: Women athletes, especially basketball players, are consistent winners in terms of engagement, hence their skyrocketing NIL deals.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #450

Fist bumping with Breanna Stewart before the WNBA Draft

April 10, 2025

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Fist bumping with Breanna Stewart before the WNBA Draft

It’s always the right time to talk about women’s basketball.

But that’s especially true when one of the greatest hoopers of all time comes on the pod. NY Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart joins co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz on The GIST of It today, and no topic is off-limits. From her latest PUMA shoe drop to her advice for Paige Bueckers ahead of Monday’s WNBA Draft to bonding over injury recovery, Stewie and the gals gab about it all. Don’t miss this one.