On Monday, the Dallas Wings drafted UConn star Paige Bueckers first overall, and she’s expected to bring comparable economic impact as fellow W star Caitlin Clark did when she was drafted by the Indianapolis Fever last year. Let’s review how Clark boosted the local economy and elevated the Fever to one of the league’s most coveted brands.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The impacts of President Trump’s U.S. trade policy have officially gone from bad to worse. On Wednesday, Trump announced that the U.S. will apply a 10% baseline tariff on all imports, with a higher rate for nations that the U.S. considers to be unfair trade partners. Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” proposal has created enough worrisome sentiment to spook the stock market.

Yesterday, the NWSL signed telecommunications giant AT&T as its official connectivity partner through an expansive, multiyear deal. While the partnership marks a major commitment to the women’s soccer league, it’s also a safe bet considering AT&T’s previous sports investments and the NWSL’s engaged audience.

This weekend, the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) premiered its new Team Spotlight Series on YouTube. While women’s sports are winning more primetime coverage and network support than ever before, both emerging and established leagues are still successfully leveraging their own broadcasts to reach fans.

Yesterday, the WNBA and its Changemaker Collective — a group of community-focused brands — extended a key partnership with women-focused digital platform Voice in Sport (VIS). By collaborating with VIS, the W and its partners are able to reach a passionate Gen Z and Gen Alpha fanbase that’s looking to stay involved in basketball, both as players and fans.