Health is wealth
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Friday!
Yesterday, Olympic long distance running star Faith Kipyegon notched 4:06 during her attempt to run a sub four-minute mile in the culmination of a months-long Nike campaign. Forbes described the lead-up as a “branding moonshot”: a high-risk, high-reward promo where authenticity and storytelling are highly valued. To the moon.
WNBA
⚕️ Care to join?
The GIST: This week, vaginal care brand Vagisil announced a new partnership with the NY Liberty that bonds the NYC–based brands over a shared message of empowering women. Additionally, athlete-focused tampon company Sequel will serve as the Indiana Fever’s official tampon in a deal that includes Lexie Hull as a player ambassador and free tampons at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
- While Vagisil and Sequel are the latest brands to seek out partnerships with these popular teams, there’s a wider trend of women’s health brands identifying the W as a place to activate and to become first-time sports sponsors. This one’s for the girls.
The landscape: While investments in women’s health have grown 300% to $41.3B between 2018 and 2023, this was only 2% of healthcare VC funding, illustrating a massively overlooked industry. Similarly, the global market for women’s intimate care products was worth $30.2B in 2024 and is expected to reach $44.3B by 2034.
- Aside from a lack of investment, the biggest challenges for brands in this space include a long legacy of dancing around women’s healthcare topics. This has created a lack of clarity, education, and acceptance around women’s health, hence the importance of new brands — like OPill, for example — to not only reach women, but to also explain product usage.
Why women’s sports: Though just under 50% of WNBA fans are women, it’s still an optimal space for brands looking to reach women and progressive audiences. WNBA fans have proven to be hyper-aware of and loyal to brands in the league, and with women accounting for 80% of consumer purchasing decisions in healthcare, it’s smart to make inroads with them in the W.
- These partnerships also leverage women athletes as ideal ambassadors. Athletes are increasingly vocal about promoting women’s healthcare amid CBA conversations and have proven to be effective influencers.
Zooming out: Several factors are making women’s intimate care a more profitable space, like increased product transparency and access to technological advancements. This creates room for startups like OPill and Sequel to win over new consumers, while established brands like Vagisil are able to familiarize younger generations with their products.
- Plus, the W is increasingly becoming a cultural force, from its trend-setting tunnel fits to its All-Star Weekend festivities becoming a media and entertainment touchpoint. Brands benefit when Ellie the Elephant sports their labels or one of Hull’s 347K Instagram followers sees her co-signing Sequel. Just trying to be cool.
🎓 PayPal supports athlete payouts with multiyear deals in the Big Ten and Big 12
Yesterday, PayPal responded to the recent House v. NCAA settlement by partnering with two college conferences, the Big Ten and Big 12, to help facilitate athlete payouts. Through these new multiyear agreements, athletic departments will be able to compensate athletes through the payment platform.
- Both PayPal and its subsidiary Venmo have already zeroed in on the college scene: Some universities allow PayPal to facilitate tuition payments, while Venmo is an official Big 12 sponsor and the presenting partner of the inaugural Big Ten Rivalry Series.
🥍 ESPN lands minority stake in pro men’s and women’s lacrosse leagues
On Wednesday, ESPN purchased a minority stake in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) through a deal that extends the network’s media rights agreement through 2030 and marks its first publicly disclosed equity investment in a sports league. The deal also includes the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL), which the PLL launched earlier this year.
📈 WNBA Portland follows in Golden State Valkyries’ footsteps with 10K season ticket deposits
RAJ Sports — the ownership group behind Portland’s NWSL and WNBA teams — announced yesterday that the city’s yet-to-be-named W franchise has already sold more than 10K season ticket deposits ahead of its 2026 league debut. This is the latest development after the team announced it sold 5K season ticket deposits within a two-week span in October.
- This impressive feat illustrates the strength of this future WNBA market, one that is primed for avid fandom like its Bay Area neighbors. Last May, the Valkyries amassed 10K season ticket deposits soon after the team’s official brand launch, while Portland’s deposits are ahead of any official team branding.
📚 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai launched Recess, a global initiative to encourage the participation of women and girls in sport.
💰 The Chicago Sky became the sixth WNBA franchise with a betting partnership thanks to its new multiyear deal with Bet365.
🎾 David Beckham–founded supplements brand IM8 named WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka as a global ambassador and the first-ever current athlete shareholder in the company.
💸 The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee generated a record $497M in revenue following Paris 2024, topping 2021’s previous $458M revenue record from Tokyo 2020.
🏀 The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the league’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.
💍 The Canadian Olympic Committee inked a four-year partnership with jewelry brand Hillberg & Berk that includes special edition Team Canada earrings.
🎥 Front Office Sports is launching FOS Studios, a production house that will develop film and television content.
📺 Apple TV+ announced the development of a three-part docuseries focusing on UConn’s women’s basketball dynasty under head coach Geno Auriemma. Always on point.
Together With Girlboss
👀 Career cheat codes don’t exist…but Girlboss Daily comes pretty close. The daily newsletter loved by countless women worldwide has created a supportive community for gals on the grind, providing them with career inspiration and intel to level up their work game.
- Ready to push your career to new heights? Subscribe to Girlboss Daily today — and thank us later.
Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
👖 Where to shop
UPRS, the genderless drop made from booth scraps. The LA brand’s new upcycled line is bold, sustainable, and already worn courtside by Sydney Colson.
✔️ What to read
This piece all about Nike’s game plan to finally win with women. Between bold campaigns and a new women-led leadership team, the swoosh might actually be walking the walk this time.
🌈 What to cop
The GIST’s 2025 Pride Collection, duh. Whether you’re grabbing the She’s Gay Marcus hat or the Sports are for the Girls, Gays, and Theys tote, 10% of proceeds go towards a brighter, more supportive future for the LGBTQIA+ community. Cheers to that.
Today's email was brought to you by Aryanna Prasad and Briana Ekanem. Fact checking by Bonnie Lee. 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.