Accepting their rose
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hello!
What’s better than 14 WNBA teams? That’s the question the league posed to fans on its social media accounts yesterday, teasing a major impending announcement. This likely means the W will confirm previous rumors that Portland, Oregon, is the new home of the WNBA’s 15th franchise and solidify the Bhathal family as newly-minted team owners. Accepting their rose.
Paralympics
📺 All the world’s a stage
The GIST: The numbers are finally in for NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2024 Paralympics, and the athletes weren’t the only ones shattering records. After offering 1.5K hours of coverage this year, the network reached a record 15.4M total viewers, proving there’s an immense audience opportunity for the Games. Around the world.
The numbers: Over a two-week span, the network averaged 1.2M viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 31% from Tokyo 2020. NBC’s September 1st primetime broadcast averaged 1.8M viewers and peaked at 2.5M to become the second-most watched Paralympics broadcast on record.
- Like the Olympics, this summer’s Paralympics were the most-streamed iteration of all time at 207M total minutes (11x more than Tokyo). USA Network also made history with its live coverage averaging 162K viewers and its September 2nd broadcast drawing 222K average viewers, making it the most-watched Paralympic cable broadcast ever.
The advertisers: NBC has come a long way in only 10 years of Paralympic coverage, but the UK’s Channel 4 has pioneered a strong Paralympics advertising strategy. This year, the network sold tiered ad packages to clients instead of singular ones, which brands snatched up: Channel 4 sold at least 16 brand packages for Paris, compared to Tokyo’s seven.
- In NBC’s case, prominent Paralympic sponsor Toyota returned as the presenting sponsor of its Paris coverage, while Google flexed its AI capabilities in partnership with the network.
- Plus, more televised coverage means more commercial breaks, which advertisers took advantage of in 2024: NBC reported a more than 60% boost in Paralympics ad sales compared to Tokyo. But more content isn’t the only reason — advertisers are leaning into the Games as they increasingly recognize the value add of Paralympic ambassadors.
Looking forward: In the past, there have unfortunately been questions about the marketability and economic viability of sponsoring Paralympic athletes, but NBC’s massive viewership numbers prove that brands activating around these athletes are heading in the right direction.
- As NBC follows in the footsteps of Channel 4 by expanding its coverage and advertising opportunities, companies will have more and more chances to activate around the growing Paralympics ecosystem. Good as gold.
Soccer
⚽ Driving the game forward
The GIST: For Soccer, a North American leader in soccer marketing, media, and experiences, released its annual fan insights report on U.S. soccer fans yesterday. Its numbers illustrate that the beautiful game’s American fanbase is becoming more diverse, especially when it comes to women and people of color. Let’s dive in.
Overall insights: American soccer fans follow the sport closely, with 84% watching at least one game per week and over 33% watching three or more games weekly. More than 50% of fans who are streaming subscribers noted soccer coverage as a “very important” reason they maintain their subscription, something Apple likely knows after an Apple TV+ sign-up spree fueled by Messi Mania.
- Soccer fans seem to prefer YouTube and Facebook for catching the latest content, but TikTok is trending upwards. The number of respondents who named TikTok as their top soccer app rose 31% YoY, while those who placed it among their top three social media platforms increased 24% YoY.
- Soccer is also cultivating a more diverse fan following: Fans who started following the sport within the past five years are 10% less likely to be white and 25% more likely to be Black compared to all soccer fans, and they’re also 20% less likely to be a man and 37% more likely to be a woman. Oosa!
Insights on Black and Hispanic fans: For Soccer also published two additional reports surveyed young Hispanic soccer players and the Black soccer community. Within both groups, young fans are highly engaged with soccer on social media platforms, while family and community identity plays an integral role in bringing new and younger audiences into the game.
- Among teenage Hispanic soccer players, 80% are male, but participation among young women has skyrocketed 82% YoY and 185% since 2021. Along with England’s Premier League, these athletes follow Liga and Liga MX fandom, with nearly 66% rooting for Mexico’s national team.
- More than half of Black fans credited their family for cultivating their fútbol interest, and more than 65% feel more connected to the game after seeing Black players succeed. While only about 50% of Black soccer fans root for the USMNT, over 75% root for the USWNT. Here to thrive.
🏈 University of Tennessee football ticket prices are rising 14.5% in 2025, with at least 10% of that increase going into a shared pool for student-athletes. Dawn Staley would like a word.
💸 FanDuel parent Flutter reached an agreement to buy Italian gaming operator Snai for $2.56B as the Ireland-based company seeks international expansion.
⛳ A Team USA win at the 2024 Solheim Cup was also a win for the team’s official uniform provider Dunning Golf, which hopes to extend its two-year contract with the squad beyond 2026.
⚽ The European Broadcasting Union will stream a weekly roundup from top women’s soccer leagues, including highlights from the NWSL, WSL, Italy’s Serie A Femminile, Germany’s Frauen Bundesliga, and France’s D1. Bellissima.
💼 The Northern Super League — Canada’s pro women’s soccer team set to launch next year — appointed four new executives at the vice president level.
⚽ WSL powerhouse Chelsea appointed Aki Mandhar as its first-ever dedicated chief executive as the club continues to develop its operations on the women’s side after moving out from beneath the men’s team. No longer just a boys’ club.
Together With Smalls
The Taylor Swift economy has brought us so much, including the reclamation of the cat lady narrative. And what are empowered feline parents feeding their kitties? Smalls fresh cat food.
- Whether your cat is a Blue Russian, Maine Coon, or simply a kooky little guy, Smalls’ recipes are sure to satisfy because they’re packed with proper nutrition without any preservatives.
- Smalls offers first-time customers a 40% discount, by using code THEGIST20. Paws-itively purrfect.
Recs from our roster!
📚 What to read
Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome. Tennis legend Venus Williams shares her wellness and performance strategy in this empowering guide. A must-read.
📸 What to check out
Table tennis photography by Hayahisa Tomiyasu, which captures humanity in unexpected ways. His book is a beautiful reflection on human behavior through the lens of sport.
🎥 What to (get ready to) watch
Starting 5. The just-announced Netflix series promising courtside clips of LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, and more NBA stars from their 2023–24 season drops October 9th. Bring ya a$$.
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 Molly Potter and Ellen Hyslop.