Never say never
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hello!
It may have been a quiet weekend for NFL fans, but it wasn’t for Swifties. At last night’s Grammy Awards, the singer announced a surprise April album, kicking off a hectic two weeks for Swift as she jets to Tokyo before touching down for a wildly expensive Super Bowl LVIII in Vegas this Sunday. Tortured indeed.
PWHL
🏒 Lookin’ at the truth
The GIST: The stars were out last Thursday during NHL All-Star Weekend, but Justin Bieber wasn’t the only one to steal the show. PWHL players shone in a 3-on-3 showcase in front of 16.4K fans at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, marking the first complete official event for women’s hockey at All-Star Weekend. Took our sticks up to the North, yeah.
The context: Women’s hockey is relatively new to the NHL event. In 2019, Team USA’s Kendall Coyne Schofield became the first woman to compete in an NHL All-Star Skills Competition. Her participation in the Fastest Skater competition was a pivotal moment for the hockey world — as Coyne Schofield put it, everyone watching recognized women belong on the ice.
- Since then, Coyne Schofield has continued to build a platform for women’s hockey — first with the PWHPA, and now with the PWHL as Minnesota’s captain. The NHL has passed her the puck plenty of times, too.
- Months after her All-Star appearance in 2019, the San Jose Sharks tapped her for the broadcasting booth. And in 2020, her hometown Chicago Blackhawks employed her as a player development coach and helped her create an all-girls developmental program.
The demand: The 3-on-3 crowd was massive, but even more fans are slated to attend a full PWHL match between Toronto and Montreal at Scotiabank Arena on February 16th. Billed as “the Battle on Bay Street,” the rivalry match sold out 18.8K seats in minutes, matching the Toronto Maple Leafs’ average of 18.7K fans at Scotiabank home games.
- PWHL Toronto may have won the attendance record battle, but Montréal could win the war. There are still two PWHL games with TBD venues, including a Toronto at Montréal rematch that could be hosted by the 21.1K-seater Bell Centre.
Key learnings: The PWHL can sell out arenas on its own, but NHL assists over the past few years have given women a bigger presence on the ice. The cross-league collab makes too much sense, and it's something other leagues like MLS and the NWSL or the NBA and WNBA could learn from. It’s the way you lift them up.
Together With The GIST
🤓 Ready for a reset?
Looking for a career change? The GIST’s job board has your back. If you’ve ever dreamed of working in sports, this is the resource for you.
- The job board features roles in every area across the industry: Marketing? Check. Finance? Check. There’s truly something for everyone.
Slay your career by checking out our job board today. Happy applying!
📺 Amazon’s 2023 spending reached $18.9B thanks to live sports
Amazon has been eager to expand its live sports footprint, but the ticket to entry was rather costly. A recent tax filing revealed the company spent 13.8% more YoY on video and music content, with CFO Brian Olsavsky confirming that Amazon spent much of that on digital content like live sports.
- Olsavsky noted the cost of the EPL and Champions League, but the company was also part of a $240M NWSL broadcasting deal and saw record WNBA Commissioner’s Cup viewership in 2023. It pays to pay women.
⛳ GolfPass sees immense growth as golf becomes more popular
PGA star Rory McIlroy’s GolfPass — a streaming venture in conjunction with the Golf Channel and NBC Sports Next — enjoyed immense growth in its first five years alongside the pandemic golf boom. Since 2019, golf and golf-adjacent participation rate has seen a 32% increase, with the number of traditional golfers growing by 2.3M.
- GolfPass didn’t release gender-based membership metrics, but more women and girls have been picking up the game in general. From 2020 to 2022, over 800K women started playing, a 15% boost compared to 2% for men. The best part? The golf industry is catering to the new members of its club.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia connects with Adidas in global partnership
Saudi live events and experiences company Sela — which is owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) — unveiled a deal with Adidas last week that will focus on strategic collaborations and developments. While it is a global partnership, the companies will share a strong focus on Saudi Arabia as the country works to develop its youth sports programs.
- Sela and Adidas already have ties through pro soccer — Adidas became the shirt supplier for PIF–owned EPL club Newcastle United last September, which features Sela as a primary kit sponsor. And in January, the Saudi Pro League made Adidas its official partner and ball supplier. The money never lie.
📱 Apple Vision Pro launched Friday with several immersive pro sports apps, including the PGA Tour, MLB, and a significant collaboration with the NBA, but none with a women’s sports focus. Hmm.
🎓 The NCAA ended the 2023 fiscal year with $1.3B in revenue and $870M in net assets, largely thanks to its investment portfolio, which saw a $63M YoY boost after losing $72.3M the previous fiscal year.
📈 Meta stock shares rose more than 20% on Friday following strong Q4 results, giving the company its third-best day to date.
💸 Sports manufacturing conglomerate Amer Sports’ IPO debuted at $13 last week after a planned $16 to $18 opening stock price and ended at $13.40, a mere 3% boost. Ouch.
🏓 Pro Padel League announced its 2024 schedule and an increased prize purse of $1M, while tennis players Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal backed padel teams at the inaugural Hexagon Cup.
🥒 Popular celebrity tournament Pickleball Slam 2 premiered on ESPN in a major primetime slot last night and featured retired women’s tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Steffi Graf.
👟 NASCAR launched a key partnership with Crocs to bolster its growing Gen Z viewership — the motorsports organization saw 7.9% growth among young adults in 2020. Ugly no more.
💰 Ryan Sports Ventures, the sports investment arm for the billionaire Ryan family, joins Just Women’s Sports as investors.
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
🎉 What to celebrate
Black History Month. Kick off the month by reading this article centered on the history of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and the important role sports play in their traditions.
📺 What to watch
Shattered Glass: A WNBPA Story. This documentary captures the humanity of WNBA players, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of Jonquel Jones, Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, and WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes. A must-watch.
🧼 How to cleanse
With Cetaphil. The daily facial cleanser is a staple for us: It’s low fuss and perfect for combination or oily skin.
Today's email was brought to you by Aryanna Prasad and Briana Ekanem. Fact checking by Bonnie Lee. Editing by Lindsay Jost. Operations by Elisha Gunaratnam and Lisa Minutillo. Ads by Lauren Tuiskula, Dee Lab, and Alexis Allison. Managing edits by Molly Potter and Ellen Hyslop.