Booked and busy
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hi there!
Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier has previously spoken about her desire to spread the wealth in women’s basketball, and she backed this up after winning the league’s inaugural 1v1 competition last week. Collier gave half of her $200K earnings from the event to her training team, performance staff, and coaches. The best things in life are Phee.
NWSL
📺 Tuned in
The GIST: Last Wednesday, Prime Video announced the March 6th premiere date of For The Win, the docuseries covering the 2024 NWSL playoffs. While sports documentaries have been a mainstay in men’s sports for years, women’s soccer is now getting movie star treatment as media companies and brands recognize the market interest in covering the pitch. Plenty of green space.
The trend: Earlier this month, the NWSL announced initial details for the project, which includes exclusive interviews and locker room access during the league’s most recent playoff run. While WNBA documentaries like Power of The Dream and Shattered Glass have focused on off-the-court storylines, women’s soccer has successfully greenlit projects centering on the game.
- For The Win is the latest streamer-supported docuseries shedding light on dramatic moments in women’s soccer, following Netflix’s USWNT Under Pressure doc. Additionally, NWSL forward Midge Purce teamed up with entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian last year to launch The Offseason, an NWSL preseason reality series that streams exclusively on X. Bingo.
The landscape: The NFL’s Hard Knocks popularized the concept of behind-the-scenes sports documentaries, with the longtime HBO production offering a mid-season version in recent years. But the docuseries trend has expanded into more niche sports like golf and F1, with Full Swing encouraging viewers to pick up golf clubs and Drive To Survive boosting fandom.
- F1 has experienced continued audience growth since the show’s 2019 debut, including a 58% YoY viewership jump in 2022. F1 sponsors have also benefited from this increased exposure — Netflix’s show generated $42.2M in sponsorship exposure value in March 2022.
Zooming out: In the NWSL, partners stand to benefit when players and stadiums get extra shine — jersey sponsors are easy to spot in promo material for Prime’s latest show, for example. And if the NWSL successfully gets broadcast exposure beyond the season, it’ll become an even bigger sponsorship hotspot for brands.
- Other women’s leagues are also primed to benefit from docuseries exposure — the PWHL could capitalize on league interest with a series, especially with its in-house media venture and partner Amazon Prime Canada. So could Unrivaled, which has an exclusive media sponsorship with TNT Sports, a network that could use more basketball content. Put that spotlight on her.
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💸 WNBA and OPill appeal to South Carolina college students through on-campus activations
The WNBA is preparing to visit South Carolina’s campus tomorrow with league partner OPill in their joint partnership catering to college students. The W is planning several activations carefully curated to collegiate tastes, including plenty of free stuff encouraging students to show.
- In addition to meet-and-greets with WNBA players, OPill is sponsoring a truck with a photo lab, hair and nail styling, and temporary tattoos. Students will also score discounted WNBA League Pass subscriptions.
⚽ Boston sports and media company CEO steps away from NWSL Boston ownership
Boston Globe Media CEO Linda Henry is stepping away from her investment in Boston Unity Soccer Partners. She was a touted investor in the NWSL’s Boston soccer club, which has endured criticism following brand campaign backlash and plans to renovate White Stadium. Interesting…
🏐 The PVF welcomed a sellout crowd of 6.9K at its first-ever All-Star Match in Indianapolis, which was the first pro women’s volleyball game to air on U.S. cable. Dig.
🏥 Miami-based Mount Sinai Medical Center joined Unrivaled’s growing list of league partners as its official medical provider.
🏛️ The LPGA filed a federal complaint against the parent company of longtime South Korean media partner JTBC to recover unpaid funds after being forced to cancel an event underwritten by the company. Drama.
🚀 Sports drink Powerade added to its existing sports partnerships by becoming the official sports drink of both MLS and U.S. Soccer.
💼 The Seattle Reign and MLS’ Seattle Sounders announced organizational restructuring across both clubs, which includes the creation of a fan engagement department to capitalize on soccer’s rising popularity.
⛳ LPGA star Rose Zhang joined the ownership group for The Bay Golf Club, one of TGL’s six inaugural golf clubs.
📚 South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley is publishing her first-ever book, Uncommon Favor, in May. Booked and busy.
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Celebrate Black History Month with these recs:
🎶 What to listen to
This Genius x Jordan Brand playlist that explores MJ’s massive impact on music, featuring 23 tracks that reference the GOAT.
🎤 Who to celebrate
Robin Roberts. Before Good Morning America, she made history as the first Black woman to anchor ESPN’s SportsCenter. An inspiration to all.
🏅 What to read
This TIME article about Gabby Thomas. The Olympic sprinter was recognized as one of TIME’s 25 Black leaders working to end the racial equity gap. The three-time gold medalist has her sights set on more wins, including bridging racial health disparities.
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