📈 Merch madness
WNBA, NWSL seeing boosts in merch sales and product development
The business of women’s sports is exploding across the board, including for merchandise, which women’s sports fans are 1.5x more likely to buy. Supporters are lining up to buy expanded merch options, which is presenting tricky logistical issues for manufacturers. Here are some current examples showing how supply doesn’t meet demand.
April 19, 2024
🏅 Going for the gold
World Athletics becomes first international governing body to pay Olympic athletes
On Wednesday, international track and field governing body World Athletics announced it will award $50K to each event winner at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, becoming the first international governing body to do so. This will uplift athletics medalists who, until now, have been classified as amateurs and had to forfeit compensation opportunities.
April 12, 2024
⚽ Back to back to back to back
No. 4 USWNT defeats No. 9 CanWNT for fifth consecutive SheBelieves Cup title
The No. 4 USWNT launched a strong comeback to defeat No. 9 CanWNT 5–4 on penalties and clinch their fifth consecutive SheBelieves Cup title last night, while No. 10 Brazil took third over No. 7 Japan. Winning hardware is always nice, but the real benefit of this friendly tourney is learning about the Paris-bound squads with just 107 days until the upcoming Summer Games. Fantastique.
April 10, 2024
😡 NAIA bans trans athletes in women’s sports
The NAIA bans trans athletes from competing in women’s sports
The NAIA unanimously voted to ban transgender athletes from nearly all women’s sports competitions beginning this August, limiting their participation to practices under the guise of protecting “competitive fairness.”
April 10, 2024
⚽ Back at it again
No. 4 USWNT will face No. 9 CanWNT in 2024 SheBelieves Cup final
The USWNT and CanWNT won their SheBelieves Cup semis over No. 7 Japan and No. 10 Brazil, respectively, setting up tomorrow’s 7 p.m. ET championship — their first meeting since last month’s soaking wet W Gold Cup semis.
April 08, 2024
📈 Stronger than a ’90s trend
Google Trends releases data for searches related to women’s sports in March
March was a wild month for women’s sports, complete with a March Madness tournament that’s transforming women’s college basketball and an NWSL season kickoff garnering more media coverage than ever. To celebrate a Women’s History Month full of sporting wins, here are the latest Google trends in women’s sports.
April 03, 2024
🏀 Earning her stripes
Caitlin Clark expected to influence the WNBA the way Tiger Woods changed golf
Caitlin Clark is leading Iowa through March Madness as she broke another scoring record on her way to this weekend’s Sweet 16. As she draws GOAT comparisons, people are also recognizing her potential to transform the business of women’s basketball — WNBA CMO Phil Cook recently told SportsPro that she’s the next Tiger Woods.
March 27, 2024
🐭 The big cheese
Billionaire Nelson Peltz continues fight for control of Disney board
Over the past few months, billionaire investor (and Brooklyn Beckham’s FIL) Nelson Peltz has been fighting to influence the future of Disney by joining its board. Peltz’s latest battle in the shareholder proxy war could have ramifications for leading sports media network and Disney cash cow ESPN, which has plans to go direct-to-consumer by next year.
March 27, 2024
📚 The Angel City edit
Angel City FC kicks off Wikipedia edit-a-thon event in LA
Last Saturday, Angel City FC, the Los Angeles Public Library, and Wikipedians in the LA area hosted a one-day Wikipedia edit-a-thon in celebration of Women’s History Month. The at-capacity event allowed local residents to contribute their Angel City knowledge to the world’s largest, community-driven encyclopedia.
March 25, 2024
📈 Raising the bar (graph)
SponsorUnited shares new data proving the favorability of women athletes in NIL sponsorships
A recent SponsorUnited NIL report on the 2023-24 season details how women college athletes are taking over the NIL space as they see a higher percentage of deals per athlete and increased social engagement compared to men. Here are some of the most telling numbers that prove women athletes are ideal brand ambassadors.
March 22, 2024
💰 Need a Minute?
Minute Media acquires Sports Illustrated publishing rights for 10 years
On Monday, international media conglomerate Minute Media (MM) struck a multiyear licensing deal with Sports Illustrated (SI) owner Authentic Brands Group for digital and print rights over the next 10 years. While financial terms were not disclosed, Authentic Brands obtained equity stake in MM through the deal.
March 20, 2024
📈 She’s got next
New data explores advertising trends for women’s sports in 2023
A new report by EDO — a marketing platform that measures the effectiveness of TV ads — offers metrics about 2023’s women’s sports viewership. It shares meaningful insight on ad engagement trends in sports like tennis and basketball, with data supporting the marketability case for rising stars like Coco Gauff and Caitlin Clark.
March 13, 2024