Set the tone

The GIST: League One Volleyball (LOVB) and home gym system Tonal have partnered to offer volleyball-centric workout programs and a unique family-focused program. The pro women’s volleyball league won’t launch until November, but it secured Tonal’s first league partnership — despite LeBron James and Sue Bird being investors and brand ambassadors. Set for success.

The details: This integrated partnership isn’t just unique for women’s sports, but for sports leagues in general. Since LOVB already has 1.1K youth volleyball clubs across the country, Tonal will be able to support athlete workouts and earn brand awareness before the pro league launch. Additionally, Tonal will run “Family Workout Nights” at LOVB youth clubs for its members and their families.

• These events will let them try out new Tonal machines with company staff on deck to assist. It’s a smart play to convince volleyball parents to invest in their own Tonal systems, and if they do purchase a machine, the smart gym brand will make a corresponding donation to the LOVB Foundation to support youth volleyball access. Can we please keep it?

The context: Pairing smart tech and sports is beneficial for both sides. Tonal posted impressive numbers in 2021 — it claimed to have over 90% of market share in the connected strength category with sales jumping 800% between 2019 and 2020. However, the post-pandemic market has been cruel to Tonal’s competitors like Peloton.

• After a precipitous crash, Peloton got resourceful by leaning into corporate partnerships with sports leagues like the NBA and WNBA. Despite its creative attempts at resurrection — like selling bikes in collegiate colorways — shares for the at-home smart bike hit a new all-time low last week, something Tonal is hoping to avoid.

Zooming out: By intertwining themselves with LOVB before its pro launch, Tonal benefits from increased brand affinity in America’s fastest-growing high school sport. It’s a winning trend in women’s sports — early partners of the PWHL and the NWSL’s Angel City, for example, have reaped the rewards of getting in on the ground floor. LOVB to see it.

The GIST: Sportico released its list of top 100 highest-paid athletes — and none of them are women. In fact, women don’t even make the top 200. Last year’s highest-earning female athlete, Coco Gauff, raked in $22.7M, light years away from overall No. 1 earner Cristiano Ronaldo’s $275M. Keep reading for some key findings from the report.

⚽ The gap is much greater in team sports. Erica Wheeler netted $242K as the WNBA’s top earner in 2023, while Steph Curry will earn $51.9M on the court this season. Similarly, women’s soccer players cash out at $500K, while men’s soccer’s highest earners are paid over 100x that amount. Deflating.

📺 Media revenue is boosting sports salaries. And since men’s leagues have been around for decades, they have a sizable head start for media rights values. The NBA’s media deals are worth $2.6B annually, compared to the WNBA’s estimated $30M. UK soccer also offers a dismal contrast — Manchester United’s women’s team led the WSL in revenue with $9M in 2022-23, yet the men’s side earned nearly $800M.

• The future remains bright, however. The NWSL’s record $240M media rights deal helped break the league’s salary record twice this offseason, and reworked NCAA rights are expected to bring more money to women’s college basketball, with the same expected for the WNBA in 2025.

🇸🇦 Saudi money is drastically influencing male athlete earnings, but women could eventually cash in, too. Saudi Arabia’s investment in men’s golf boosted earnings for LIV players like Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. While the influx of money widens the gender pay gap, the country’s efforts to enter women’s sports could result in a big athlete sponsorship. Ons Jabeur, anyone?

💰 Women athletes boast higher endorsement value. Combined, the top 15 highest-earning women athletes earned nearly triple their salaries ($44.8M) in endorsements ($129.5M), while the top 15 male athletes earned only half their salaries ($1.2B) in endorsements ($570M). Women offer high ROI as brand ambassadors, but their limited exposure leads to fewer endorsement deals. Waiting for the boys to get 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. Talk about a golazo.

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.