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.

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.

Today, Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) announced that Sephora will become its exclusive beauty partner and presenting sponsor of its AUSL Championship series, which airs on ESPN this weekend. While Sephora isn’t the first beauty brand to join the women’s game, it’s gaining ground and further cementing its status as the beauty industry’s top dog.

Athlos — the women’s track meet launched last year — is returning this fall with a clever plan to win over fans. Yesterday, the organization confirmed it will host a portion of its competition in the heart of Times Square. This is reminiscent of recent PLL and WLL strategy, illustrating how niche sports and upstart leagues are using unconventional gimmicks to hook viewers.

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.

This year will mark the fourth edition of WNBA Live at WNBA All-Star Weekend, where 25 event sponsors will offer IRL activations for fans. The efficacy of experiential advertising pairs well with the impressive purchase consideration from women’s sports fans, who boast higher awareness and devotion to sponsors in women’s sports.

On Wednesday, AdWeek published purchase consideration insights from brand tracking platform Tracksuit. The data highlights the biggest shifts in purchase consideration among popular Gen Z brands from January to June, proving that authenticity and wellness work best to win over young fans. Here are the key takeaways and the ways they’re being implemented across women’s sports.

Tomorrow, the men’s Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) and its new women’s arm, the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL), will be playing the sport’s first-ever match on a river — a stunt tied to mutual brand partner Whirlpool.

Last week, sports sponsorship data insights platform SponsorUnited revealed the 30 most-searched sponsors on its platform for June. The platform’s search data indicated which brands were most buzzworthy last month, with each employing different marketing strategies to make waves with sports fans.

The WNBA tipped off Monday with major news: The league is awarding three new expansion franchises to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Each of the winning bids agreed to pay a record $250M expansion fee — higher than the valuations of half the W — with additional investments committed to team and facility development.

With Wimbledon coming up, SponsorPulse followed up 2024 data insights on Wimbledon fandom in the U.S., illustrating the fan profile and opportunity for brands to engage as the British Grand Slam faces growth challenges.

Last week, 3XBA — a professional touring FIBA 3x3 women’s basketball league — announced a unique partnership with Seattle’s Rough & Tumble Pub, the second-ever women’s sports bar. Through their new agreement, the two entities will promote one another through activations at live events.