Très bien
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Welcome back!
School may have started, but UConn basketball stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd are keeping the summer vibes alive. The duo started the weekend in Coco Gauff’s box at the US Open on Friday. On Sunday, they caught a Connecticut Sun game before doubling back to NYC to watch Frances Tiafoe, where they met cast members from Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. No glory in easy.
WNBA
🌹 Rose-colored glasses
The GIST: Everything’s coming up roses in Portland. After narrowly missing out on a WNBA expansion franchise bid last November, the Rose City is reportedly banking the WNBA’s 15th franchise. Per Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report, the Bhathal family — which already owns the NWSL’s Portland Thorns — is buying Portland’s newest sports franchise. Talk about trailblazers.
The backstory: Last November, the Portland deal was considered a slam dunk until tech millionaire Kirk Brown unexpectedly backed out after clashing with W ownership conditions. While PDX was identified as a prime WNBA market, Brown’s withdrawal left the city’s bid without a principal owner or the $50M expansion fee at the time.
- Similar to Toronto’s journey to WNBA ownership under Larry Tanenbaum, the expansion effort has now found a new champion under the Bhathals, who have been principal co-owners of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings since 2013 and recently bought the Thorns for a record $63M this January.
The details: While the league has yet to officially confirm the bid and sale price, close sources indicate the Bhathals beat out multiple bidding groups. And despite the failed deal last year, Oregon’s largest city was still widely considered the frontrunner to land a new franchise, which will begin play in 2026 and will eventually share the Moda Center with the NBA’s Trail Blazers following renovations.
- According to Highkin, the Bhathals have been familiarizing themselves with Portland’s market and fervent women’s sports fan base since their Thorns purchase, and they also wield a significant edge over fellow bidders thanks to their long-standing NBA ties.
- A Portland team also adds another West Coast rival for Seattle and Golden State, meaning the W’s 16th expansion franchise city could be anyone’s game. Multiple cities, including Philadelphia and Denver, are still campaigning.
Zooming out: It’s too bad it didn’t work the first time around for Portland, because it’s only getting more expensive to add a WNBA team. Golden State paid $50M, then Toronto put up a full $115M commitment that included a $50M expansion fee. This summer, the average WNBA team was worth $96M, and that was before the W netted $2.2B in media rights.
- Values are rising quickly, and investors want in, with entrepreneurs in the NWSL and WNBA snatching up stakes wherever possible. The Bhathals paid a record asking price once, and they’ll likely have to do it again — but it’s oh so worth it.
📺 Disney and DirecTV enter blackout period in carriage dispute
Tell us if you’ve seen this film before: Disney is in a carriage dispute for the second year in a row, this time with DirecTV. On Sunday, the companies entered the blackout stage as millions of U.S. viewers lost access to ESPN and ABC. That means sports fans are missing out on college football and US Open action (again), which the tennis Grand Slam finds “disappointing.” Double fault.
🎾 Chinese tennis phenom Zheng Qinwen demonstrates brand ambassador potential
Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen is seeing her star rise this year after reaching her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open and winning Olympic gold in Paris. Former Octagon senior vice president and consultant Bo Heiner considers her to have marketing potential to bring Asian American fans to the tennis court like Jeremy Lin and Yao Ming did for basketball.
- Zheng has already inked several major sponsorships with Nike, Gatorade, Wilson Sporting Goods, and McDonald’s. In April, she also joined WTA world No. 1 Iga Świątek as a Lancôme athlete ambassador to represent one of China’s most popular luxury makeup brands. Queen(wen) of the court.
🏀 Latest Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese rivalry game brings big ratings win
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese had their last regular season battle on Friday, which Mattel activated around with its Barbie Night for over 9.4K fans. It was also the pair’s first rivalry game on Ion, which drew 1.6M average viewers, the most for any WNBA game in network history.
- Before the big game, the Fever brought an average of 1.1M viewers to its games on the network this season, while the Sky drew 500K average viewers to Ion. Clark and Reese’s numbers are lifting the viewership average for Ion’s Friday night WNBA slate, which has seen an average of 600K viewers through Week 12 — a 109% jump YoY.
🏒 PWHL Toronto announced 8.5K-seater Coca-Cola Coliseum as its new home venue for next season, upgrading from its previous home at 2.6K-seater Mattamy Athletic Center. Real magic.
🚼 Worldwide pro soccer union FIFPro issued a comprehensive Postpartum Return to Play guide to help players and their families manage pregnancy and the period after childbirth.
⚽ FIFA released its International Transfer Snapshot report, confirming another year of major women’s soccer spending: Teams paid a record $6.8M during the 2024 transfer window.
🇫🇷 Over 22M people tuned into the 2024 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony across public broadcaster France Télévisions, with its France 2 channel pulling more than 19M viewers for each of the first three days of competition. Très bien.
📈 Stock values for Wilson parent Amer Sports and Roger Federer’s On Holdings rose more than 20% in August after solid quarterly earnings.
👀 The ATP and WTA are back to merger talks after stalling earlier this year, with the Tennis Channel’s Jon Wertheim stating a deal between the tennis tours could be done by November. Sitting, waiting, wishing.
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
🎾 What to watch
This Moments That Make Us episode. Tennis legend Billie Jean King opens up to Melinda French Gates about the power of authenticity and her fight for gender equality in sports. A must-watch.
🦁 What to catch up on
Mascot drama. ICYMI, the WNBA’s Chicago Sky introduced its fierce new lioness mascot named Skye. Fans are loving the move, but her sister Ellie may have other feelings.
⚽ What to shop
These RECESS retro kits. The new drop of retro-inspired football soccer kits include Paris and London editions. With classic vibes and a modern twist, they’re perfect for lovers of the beautiful game.
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