Full court press
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hey there!
Count Disney among the many major companies riding the women’s sports wave to impressive returns. According to the media giant’s latest upfront talks, sports advertising volume reached almost $4B within the past year, with commitments in women’s sports receiving a double-digit boost.
- Apparently, ESPN is seeing increased interest in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, the WNBA, and new softball and volleyball acquisitions AUSL and LOVB. Bring it in.
WNBA
🏀 Full court press
The GIST: Last year, Relo Metrics spoke with The GIST about its first year of tracking sponsor media value (SMV) in the WNBA. On Wednesday, we checked in with company CEO Jay Prasad on how the 2025 season so far compares with an explosive 2024 season that generated $136M in SMV for league sponsors. Take it to the bank.
The recap: Outside of Nike, which was overrepresented by its jersey patch sponsorship and thus excluded from the final data set, Michelob Ultra had the highest SMV ($5.5M) last July. Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark sponsors Eli Lilly, Gainbridge, and State Farm also outperformed thanks to the unparalleled national exposure and viewership of the star guard.
- By season end, the Fever accounted for 45% of total broadcast value, with venue sponsor Gainbridge blowing all other financial brands out of the water despite having less logo exposure than NY Liberty sponsor Barclays.
Michelob Ultra: At the season midpoint, Michelob Ultra is actually outperforming Nike in SMV with $19M in value accrued, with SMV per exposure up 6x YoY. Prasad said sponsors “rarely see that kind of jump” and credited the brand’s outsized presence in its efforts to win over women, a smart play in a category that has often overlooked them.
- After the beer brand ended last season with $9.3M in SMV, what changed? National broadcast exposure has skyrocketed YoY, meaning more fans are seeing Michelob Ultra’s league-wide floor court logo stamp on W floors.
- Prasad said that such a pervasive court sponsorship isn’t available in the NBA, making the WNBA uniquely able to offer this type of ad placement that evidently outperforms jersey patches, which usually receive unparalleled screen time.
The Indiana Fever: The Fever have only flourished in their second season with Clark, leading teams in SMV with $55.2M and in full media value with $233M. That puts the team far ahead of its WNBA counterparts: It’s banked nearly 5x more SMV than the next highest team, the NY Liberty ($12M), and its full media value accounts for 46% earned among the top 10 teams.
Lingering questions: The WNBA is still in its start-up era, which may have prompted unique openness to offering more-apparent floor court logos. Will this prompt other leagues to sell this prime real estate, which we’ve also seen in EuroLeague and Unrivaled? And is it something the NWSL might pick up the way MLS’ San Jose Earthquakes have? All it takes is the right pitch.
Girls’ basketball
📱 A Gen Z zeitgeist
The GIST: Season two of Overtime Select — the high school girls’ basketball tournament launched by Gen Z sports brand Overtime (OT) last year — tips off on Saturday, so we spoke with OT about its growth numbers and the ROI for brands that want to capitalize on the next generation of women’s basketball stars. Bold.
The wins: Since its launch, OT Select has seen outsized engagement on YouTube and TikTok. The brand’s longform YouTube videos have 4x more views and engagements per video than the average longform video in U.S. sports media, and its TikTok content is 2.5x more engaging than average on the platform.
- During its first season, league captains added 150K Instagram followers overall, representing 72% collective growth. And in the offseason, OT Select’s account has grown by 150K followers. No cap.
The audience: It’s not just that OT Select is growing — it’s who it's reaching that’s a selling point for brands. According to OT, 75% of OT Select followers are under 35, meaning brands activating in this space are reaching the next generation of sports fans.
- Additionally, this gives brands an opportunity to partner with athletes before they enter college and eventually make the big leagues. Adidas, E.l.f., Gatorade, State Farm, and Invisalign are a few of the sponsors that have teamed up with OT Select and its athletes to reach these audiences.
The takeaway: These partnerships aren’t entirely surprising: Gatorade has long sponsored high school athletes, while State Farm doubled down on college women’s basketball after signing Caitlin Clark. And with an estimated 50 to 70% of teens expected to straighten their teeth, showcasing Invisalign products with Select athletes is a smart way to break through to this demo. Say cheese.
📈 NWSL shares mid-season insights through Week 13
According to the league, fans have viewed over 1.2B live match minutes, with average live streams increasing 34% YoY. Many of these viewers are coming from free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platforms, where viewing hours have risen 18% YoY. Supporters are also showing up IRL, with 71% of NWSL clubs seeing 10K-plus crowds this season.
- Plus, the league’s social media following is up 37% YoY, including a 445% increase in new TikTok followers. And putting matches on YouTube was clearly the move: Viewership has surged with 9.6M regular-season minutes viewed on the platform. All smiles.
🥎 AUSL hits winning numbers for its inaugural regular season
The first regular season for AUSL, Athletes Unlimited’s new traditional pro softball league, has been one for the books. The league saw 20 sellout crowds, 240M social media impressions, and 5.3M website pageviews. Eager fans have also snapped up over $1M in merch and peak viewership for the championship game — which was bumped to ESPN from ESPN2 — reached 347K.
⛳ Insurance brand The Standard enters sports sponsorship with LPGA deal
The Portland-based financial brand is finally teeing things off in its first-ever sports deal as the title partner of the LPGA’s Portland Classic, which begins August 14th. The tour event is looking to celebrate the city’s distinct women’s sports culture with a pop-up bar from The Sports Bra and combo passes to an upcoming Portland Thorns match. Coming up roses.
🍺 Crown Royal celebrated the viral success of WNBA influencers StudBudz by gifting the duo a custom rhinestone-encrusted bottle. Everyone watches StudBudz.
👟 NWSL and USWNT star Trinity Rodman is set to debut the Adidas F50 SparkFusion, the brand’s first cleat offering designed specifically for women athletes.
🤺 USA Fencing is developing a new $56M training center and academy near Boston following the country’s resurgence at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. Touché.
🦚 Streaming service Peacock saw its cumulative losses stretch beyond $10B with subscribers plateauing at 41M in Comcast’s latest quarterly results.
🎾 A federal judge certified a class action lawsuit against the NCAA over pro tennis prize money earnings following the experience of collegiate players Reese Brantmeier and Maya Joint.
Hi. It’s us. We’re the recommenders, it’s us.
🎓🏈 Who to know
Thai Floyd, the first female broadcaster in HBCU football history. Thai’s not just breaking barriers — she’s narrating the new playbook.
🎥 What to add to your watch list
Pros and Cons, a documentary about former NBA player Keyon Dooling’s life from the hardcourt to federal prison after attempting to defraud the league's healthcare policy.
📰 What to read
This article detailing how WNBA players are using merch to demand more. A t-shirt speaks volumes.
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