Play hard, hustle harder

The GIST: P.R.O.S. Sports Housing — a company that provides short-term housing for pro athletes — rebranded as Mavrx Sports Housing and announced a new partnership with Las Vegas Aces star Sydney Colson this week. Mavrx is the latest company to enter the WNBA space by teaming up with Colson, who’s been renowned for her marketability.

• Colson’s latest partnership illustrates how women athletes who specialize in content creation are being increasingly targeted by brand marketers, no matter how many minutes they actually clock on the court. Work hard, play hard, hustle harder.

The company: Mavrx specifically caters to pro athletes, who move frequently and benefit from league housing provisions in the NWSL, PWHL, and WNBA. Company founder Nicolette Hawthorne recently pledged to double down on supporting the W, which includes working with teams like the Indiana Fever, LA Sparks, Seattle Storm, and Washington Mystics.

The athlete: Colson is a WNBA veteran and two-time champion, but isn’t among the Aces’ typical starting five. This hasn’t stopped her from assisting brands like Ally, Bumble, and now Mavrx, a deal she announced on Instagram with her unique storytelling ability.

• Colson has focused on becoming the “face of the league” through crafting humorous, short-form content that engages audiences on social media. Eventually, this helped Colson and fellow W athlete Theresa Plaisance create The Syd + TP Show.

Zooming out: Colson isn’t the only athlete turning to content creation for all-star attention. Gymnast Livvy Dunne has established a popular social media brand and boasts a whopping $4.2 in NIL deals, yet didn’t make Team USA this summer. Similarly, the University of Miami’s famous Cavinder twins have nearly raked in a combined $2M in NIL deals without WNBA consideration.

• Compared to Aces starter Chelsea Gray, Colson has double the following on Instagram and X, proving content really is king. By harnessing her comedic chops, Colson has proven she’s an ideal ambassador for brands looking to break into the WNBA space and reach new fans. What dreams are made of.

The GIST: On Monday, tennis star Coco Gauff joined a long list of athlete investors backing 3v3 basketball league Unrivaled, which has secured $35M in total funding. Gauff’s investment highlights how WTA athletes have proven to be adept investors across the board. Aces.

The earnings: The 20-year-old topped Forbes’ 2024 list of the highest-earning women athletes with $34.4M, which ranks third all-time for a single year behind fellow tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams. While Gauff benefits from high prize pools and equal Grand Slam payouts, she also made $25M from endorsements last year, meaning she has lots of moolah to invest.

The context: Williams and Osaka have been in the (investment) game even longer than Gauff. Before retiring, Williams launched venture capital firm Serena Ventures, then founded Wyn Beauty in 2024. Osaka is a part owner of the NWSL’s NC Courage and MLP’s Miami Pickleball Club in addition to owning production company Hana Kuma.

• This isn’t a coincidence: Tennis is consistently home to the highest earners in women’s sports thanks to equal pay and prime exposure that leads to elite brand deals. Aside from titans like soccer’s Alex Morgan and basketball’s Candace Parker, tennis stars are often the women athletes with the most capital to invest.

Zooming out: In addition to padding their own portfolios, investments from famous athletes add legitimacy to sports start-ups. Like Unrivaled, pro athletes have also backed LOVB, Pro Volleyball Federation, Major League Pickleball, Sail GP, and TGL — all either start-ups in non-traditional sports or popular sports leagues in non-traditional formats.

• These athlete investments prove sporty alternatives are winning ideas worth backing, while also providing athletes with a way to multiply their earnings. In women’s tennis, it just makes cents to take some of that chart-topping endorsement money and bank it in a solid business plan. Match point.

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