Fixing their form
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Hey there!
ICYMI, SHE Weekend in Las Vegas was larger than life. Laila Edwards, Alysa Liu, and Brenna Huckaby were a few of the Winter Olympians who kicked it with The GIST, not to mention the man who made it all happen: Flavor Flav. But there were also several brands who came in with key assists, like Dove and Delta Airlines.
- Sponsor support truly makes dreams come true for athletes — it’s something we’re seeing for WNBA athletes, too, as the WNBPA builds its sponsorship portfolio with athlete-centered deals. Keep scrolling to see how a new player in the space is ensuring W athletes get the support they need.
WNBA
🏀 Fixing their Forme
The GIST: Last week, the WNBPA announced a partnership with Forme, a unique sports apparel company with patented wearable tech that improves posture (just ask Taylor Swift). We spoke with WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike, WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson, and Forme founder Dr. Stephen Liu about the deal and the opportunities for medtech start-ups in sports. Loving the alignment.
The details: Forme allows players to monitor and maintain posture alignment as they sleep, travel, and train throughout the season. Each player will have access to Forme’s wearable tech and receive a Posture Score based on their data. It all tips off with a pilot activation at WNBA All-Star Weekend, and next year, the Forme Fitting Room will assess WNBA rookies early on.
- Plus, Forme is going above and beyond by establishing a platform for WNBPA members that features educational content on improving posture and alignment.
The why: Dr. Liu’s reasoning is twofold: He believes “elite athletes are often the first to recognize what truly matters for human performance.” And it means something that many WNBA partners are already using Forme: “When elite athletes trust Forme as part of their daily routine, it creates a level of credibility no marketing campaign can manufacture.”
- And according to the WNBPA’s Jackson, athletes’ bodies “are their greatest professional asset,” so “anything that helps them recover better, move more efficiently, and prioritize their overall well-being is worth exploring.” She called it a thoughtful addition to the union’s massive portfolio, noting that they don’t bank agreements just because they’re “commercially attractive,” they back products that “provide real value to [WNBPA] members.”
Zooming out: Both Jackson and Liu underscore how athletes need this tech, and they make sense as natural brand ambassadors. And that’s something different than a lot of other partnerships: Recovery tech is essential for athletes. More general wearable trackers (like Whoop) have been involved in the space, but few specialized medtech trackers like Forme have a presence yet.
- The partnership with Forme “reflects how much the conversation around players has evolved,” said Ogwumike. “We're seeing more brands look beyond what happens on the court and ask, 'How can we actually help athletes?'” She’s hoping this deal inspires other brands to consider how they can support athletes and keep them on the court. Playing the long game.
📈 New StubHub data shows WNBA All-Star Game may be the biggest one yet
According to the ticketing platform, ticket sales are up 32% YoY from last year’s record attendance and are 8x higher than the same time point before tip-off in 2022, the last time the All-Star Game was in Chicago. The geographic data illustrates how the moment is a national draw: Purchases span over 40 states, and 63% of buyers are coming from outside Illinois.
- StubHub also noted that the audience is “both loyal and expanding.” While 66% of ticketholders are repeat StubHub customers, almost 80% are new to Chicago pro sports on the platform.
⚽ E.l.f. Cosmetics embraces data on in-person events through Gotham FC activation
The cosmetics brand was one of several sponsors that showed up for soccer fans at the FIFA men’s World Cup this weekend, but the prominent women’s sports sponsor also chose to connect with them at last week’s Gotham FC rivalry match in Queens.
- Last week’s event included a tunnel walk, skill activations for young players, and engagement with young female soccer fans, with the brand citing that 55% of U.S. adults consider in-person events a key way to express fandom. Because why the E.l.f. not?
🎾 WTA plans to conduct gene testing ahead of LA28
This week, the women’s tennis tour updated its athlete eligibility policy to include gender screening “based on biological sex” by testing for the SRY gene. Even though human rights groups and activists object to gender screening, this is in accordance with the IOC’s new eligibility policy ahead of LA28 — a response to U.S. president Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order aiming to ban trans athletes at the Olympics.
🚀 USA Sports’ July 15th game between the Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries averaged 1.14M viewers, the most for a W game on the network and 172% higher than 2025’s average WNBA cable viewership. Swish.
🏛️ After 12 states sued to block Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery takeover, a U.S. District Court judge implemented a temporary restraining order to pause the deal…for now.
📺 Overtime Select star GG Banks will star in No Days Off: Up Next Class of 2026, a new original YouTube series from DAZN that highlights 16 of the nation’s top young athletes.
🎙️ Megan Rapinoe is launching Why Are You Like This?, a new interview show on YouTube with longtime media partner Vox Media.
🤖 AI–powered sports company Fastbreak AI secured a multiyear extension with the SEC so the conference can optimize schedules across 10 different women’s and men’s sports. Generating greatness.
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