Quite the hook
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hello!
And then there were two. The Washington Spirit will take on the Orlando Pride in the NWSL Championship this Saturday, with both teams enjoying plenty of love on their journeys to the ’chip.
- The Spirit have seen historic attendance with over 150K fans in the regular season and back-to-back home sellouts in the playoffs, while the Pride averaged over 8K fans through September and saw its highest home venue attendance in 2024. That’s the spirit.
Unrivaled
💰 Nothing quite like it
The GIST: Unrivaled — the new 3v3 pro women’s basketball league tipping off in January — is primed for success. As Front Office Sports recently highlighted, savvy leadership decisions and partnerships have positioned the league to profit as interested parties continue to sign on before ticket sales officially go live this week. Making every shot count.
💼 Unrivaled has lured top WNBA executives and coaches. Last week, the league announced former Minnesota Lynx general manager (GM) Clare Duwelius will follow Lynx star and Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier to the league as its first EVP and GM. The basketball league also hired former Chicago Sky boss Teresa Weatherspoon and longtime NBA assistant Phil Handy as coaches.
🏟️ The league’s inaugural season will take place in Miami, but in its own customized facility. Last Wednesday, Unrivaled partnered with Mediapro North America to refurbish an existing 130K-square-foot venue in Miami into an 850-seat court, training facilities, childcare areas, and a content creation space.
- While next season could see the league take games on the road, this partnership with Mediapro — a Spain-based audiovisual company that produces Copa América and LaLiga games — means the venue will be uniquely outfitted with state-of-the-art digital tech.
📺 Unrivaled stands to gain from its TNT media rights deal. In October, TNT finally entered the women’s basketball space through an extensive multiyear agreement with the 3v3 league. That deal will allow Unrivaled to earn far beyond its limited ticket sales, especially with escalator clauses that pay the league more based on higher ratings.
- The league already wields major starpower, from its WNBA co-founders to its athletes, but there’s still room for growth. The six-team league expanded from its initial 30-player plan to 36 after surpassing early financial projections, and with only four spots remaining, it’s now targeting ratings winner Caitlin Clark. All hands on deck.
Together With Canadian Women & Sport
💪 More than 1M girls are missing out on the benefits of sports
If teenage romcoms taught us anything, it’s that growing up isn’t easy — but sports can help ease those inevitable growing pains. In partnership with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and IMI Consulting, Canadian Women & Sport’s 2024 Rally Report found that:
🧠 70% of girls believe that sports positively impact their mental health
❤️ One in two girls said sports participation positively influences their body image
📣 Seven in 10 girls are excited to be women’s sports fans
👟 40% of girls are more interested than ever in playing sports
So, what’s the problem? More than 1M Canadian girls are missing out on the benefits. In order to ensure every girl has the opportunity to play, reimagining girls’ sports through increased investment, girl-centered coaching practices, and safe, supportive environments is everything.
- It’s time to make these women’s sports love letters go viral — download The 2024 Rally Report today to learn more.
🥊 Paul-Tyson fight card saw massive viewership for women’s boxing match
Friday’s heavily-marketed bout between celebrity boxer Jake Paul and former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson may have been a low moment for boxing, but it was a win for Netflix. The streamer reported 60M households watched the match, but there was more than social media clout at stake.
- Boxers Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor featured on the undercard in a highly-anticipated (and controversial) rematch for the world super lightweight title that was streamed by almost 50M households, which Netflix believes makes it the most-watched professional women’s sporting event in U.S. history.” Quite the hook.
👟 Grand Slam Track moves forward with four locations for 2025 meets
Grand Slam Track (GST) — the new league established by Olympic track legend Michael Johnson — announced four locations for its upcoming meets. Miami, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Kingston, Jamaica, will host GST events next year as the international league focuses on North America in its debut.
👕 Alex Morgan leads Soccer.com’s NWSL jersey sales in 2024
This was retailer Soccer.com’s first year selling jerseys for all 14 NWSL clubs thanks to a new partnership with the league, meaning teams could officially compare sales. Recently-retired USWNT and San Diego Wave star Alex Morgan boasted the top-selling jersey on the platform, her club ranked first in team sales, and the top 10 best-selling kits belonged to USWNT athletes.
🎉 The Dallas Wings won the top pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, which will likely be used to select UConn star Paige Bueckers. Aura.
🏆 Speaking of UConn, women’s basketball head coach (HC) Geno Auriemma has won 1,216 games, tying former Stanford HC Tara VanDerveer for most all-time wins in college basketball.
🏛️ LA Sparks forward Dearica Hamby’s legal defense argues against the WNBA’s claim that it is not her employer in a new court filing.
🎙️ Spotify reported an estimated $4.2B in revenue in Q3, marking a 19% YoY increase for the quarter driven by its Premium offering, which now has 252M subscribers. Spot on.
🎓 U.S. Senator (and potential future Senate Commerce Committee Chair) Ted Cruz reiterated his desire to draft legislation to protect the NCAA’s amateurism model.
⚖️ Warner Bros. Discovery’s and TBS’ breach of contract lawsuit against the NBA has ended amicably, with the parties signing a new partnership to keep Inside The NBA on the air. All’s well that ends well.
Together With The GIST
🎙️ Sound on
If you love The GIST’s newsletters, you’re going to love our twice-weekly podcast, The GIST of It. Hosted by besties Ellen Hyslop and Stephanie Rotz, it’s the women-produced and -hosted sports pod you’ve been waiting for.
El and Steph dive into current sports topics and how they intersect with society and pop culture. They cover everything from season previews to calling out the sexist BS that’s rampant across the industry.
Join the conversation by subscribing to The GIST of It wherever you tune into podcasts. Happy listening.
Hi. It’s us. We’re the recommenders, it’s us.
🏀 Who’s going for Defensive Player of the Year
Aflac. They pay cash to help with expenses health insurance doesn’t cover, like co-pays and even rent, protecting you when unexpected medical bills strike. Nothing but (safety) net.*
💌 What to read
“A love letter to sports,” as told by athletes on The Players’ Tribune. Heartfelt, unfiltered stories that’ll hit you right in the feels.
🎧 What to listen to
🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, from our pals at GOALS! Four major brands just took the “Athena Pledge” to invest big in women’s sports. In this episode, hear about the pledge and how its four founding members (AT&T, Capital One, Cisco and Deloitte) are uniting to advance women’s sports. #GOALS
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 Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Molly Potter and Ellen Hyslop. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.