Everyone invests in women’s sports
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Friday!
USWNT legend Alex Morgan shocked the world yesterday by announcing that she’ll be hanging up her cleats after her NWSL match on Sunday. But if the soon-to-be mom of two tackles retirement like Serena Williams or Sue Bird, Morgan will log more hours in the boardroom.
- The co-founder of media brand TOGETHXR also invested in TGL’s LA outfit in 2023 — and there’s so much more to Morgan’s portfolio. She shoots, she scores.
WNBA
🏦 Chasing glory
The GIST: On Wednesday, JP Morgan Chase announced its longtime Golden State Warriors sponsorship will also extend to the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries. As the team’s first founding partner, Chase’s multiyear partnership provides the W team with a powerful marketing edge backed by the financial institution. Bank on it.
The details: Chase Freedom — the bank’s credit card brand — will become the jersey “shield” sponsor for the team’s inaugural 2025 season. The partnership will additionally see JP Morgan Chase invest in the Bay Area community by furthering initiatives which support financial literacy and women-owned small businesses.
- JP Morgan will also reward all cardholders who purchase their 2025 Valkyries season tickets using a Chase credit or debit card with an exclusive gift — no points needed.
The background: In 2016 — at the height of the Warriors dynasty — Chase signed a 20-year arena naming rights deal worth $300M, the largest in NBA history at the time. The Chase Center finally opened in 2019 after being privately financed for a whopping $1.4B, but the Warriors practically print money — the team was annually generating about $2B in revenue at the time.
- Majority owner Joe Lacob’s investment caused the team to soar from its $450M purchase price in 2010 to an $8.2B valuation in 2024, and the Valkyries are poised for more of the same under Lacob, who also owns the W squad.
- By the time the Valkyries’ Chase Center block party event rolled out in May, the team had already received over 7.5K season-ticket deposits. That number now stands at more than 15K — a record for a U.S. women’s sports franchise.
Zooming out: JP Morgan Chase has a robust sports sponsorship roster that includes running, tennis, and cricket as well as teams like MLS’ Inter Miami, with whom they inked a stadium naming rights deal earlier this year.
- In the W, banks are encroaching on the league’s limited real estate — U.S. Bank is a WNBA Changemaker, while Barclays and Ally sponsor individual teams. But with Chase’s 120-year Bay Area ties, established Golden State presence, and built-in consumer base, this partnership makes sense for the Valkyries.
- San Francisco, a sports hotbed for decades, is also home to the U.S.’s highest median annual income. Ultimately, for Chase and its basketball teams, the Bay will always be bae.
💸 Bob Iger, Willow Bay officially close on Angel City FC purchase
The Disney CEO and USC Dean power couple officially completed their purchase of Angel City FC (ACFC) yesterday, and the sale’s details confirm the club leads the NWSL in several KPIs. With a $250M transaction valuation that included a $50M capital injection from the Iger and Bay, ACFC is now officially the world’s highest-valued women’s sports franchise.
- According to the club, the team boasts the highest sponsorship revenue, attendance, ticketing revenue, community impact, and brand recognition of any NWSL franchise — in just four years of existence. Sheesh.
🚀 Sportfive launches women’s soccer division
After facilitating over 150 women’s soccer sponsorships over the last two years, German sports marketing agency Sportfive is making a major move in the sport. This week, the agency launched a dedicated women’s soccer sales division to bolster its services in Germany and beyond. Sportfive has also worked with UEFA and the Women’s Super League (WSL), as well as the NWSL. Sauber.
👕 Sportico details the US Open’s lucrative jersey patch market
Brands are increasingly opting to pay tennis players to wear one-off patches during key matchups, shelling out anywhere from $10K to $20K per match. It sounds costly, but the ROI can be tenfold: Depending on the patch’s location, an early-round patch worn in the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium can generate $115K to $250K in brand value.
- Mid-size NYC accounting firm Wiss, which specifically partnered with women athletes during the Grand Slam, garnered a 168% increase in website engagement after French star Clara Burel sported a Wiss patch during her August 26th match against American Sloane Stephens.
- “Nobody knows who Wiss is,” Wiss marketing director Kristine Sinisi said. “We put Wiss on the map on Monday night.”
🏟️ After PWHL Toronto’s venue upgrade was announced Monday, PWHL Montréal announced Wednesday that 10K-seater Place Bell will be their new home next season — an upgrade from Verdun Auditorium’s 4K seats.
🥎 U.S. softball icon Jennie Finch will join fellow former Team USA stars Cat Osterman, Jessica Mendoza, and more as new advisors to the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), which launches next year.
⚽ The NWSL’s Washington Spirit announced Thursday that NBA legend Magic Johnson purchased a stake in the team, adding to his minority stake in the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Everyone invests in women’s sports.
🏉 A new Women’s Sport Trust (WST) report on England’s national women’s rugby team found the gender awareness gap between its national men’s and women’s squads dropped 10% in the last year, shrinking the previous gap to just 15%.
💃 Speaking of putting rugby on the map, 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Ilona Maher will participate in Dancing with the Stars, joining Paris’s “pommel horse guy” Stephen Nedoroscik in what’s become a rite of passage for Team USA’s best.
💰 Gainbridge, Parity, and the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) announced Parity Week’s 21 grant recipients on Wednesday. The honorees will receive a collective $150K, with Gainbridge and Parity donating another $50K to revamp community tennis courts and programming in Long Island, NY.
🏒 On Wednesday, celebrated Canadian LPGA golfer Brooke Henderson announced a multiyear deal with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators that will see the hockey team’s logo on Henderson’s water bottle and golf towels. No place like home.
Recs from our roster!
🛼 Who to know
The Brooklyn Skate Moms. This group of New York moms are either learning to skateboard for the first time or getting back into it, finding community, freedom, and fun along the way.
👟 What’s making its mark
New Balance. The niche brand–turned–sportswear giant is proving it means business by signing Duke freshman and projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft Cooper Flagg.
🎮 What to play
Backyard Sports. That’s right, the iconic franchise is back, relaunching with new games, merchandise, and even TV shows. Channel your inner ’90s kid and let’s play ball!
Today's email was brought to you by Aryanna Prasad and Briana Ekanem. Fact checking by Bonnie Lee. Editing by Dee Lab. Operations by Elisha Gunaratnam and Lisa Minutillo. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Ellen Hyslop.