Been there, won that

The GIST: Things happen fast when you’re rapper Flavor Flav. The ‘90s icon is known for his avid women’s sports fandom after supporting athletes during Paris 2024. Initially a fan of the Team USA women’s water polo team, Flav extended his endorsement to many more athletes, and the same happened at the Winter Olympics.

• What began as pushback against President Trump’s demeaning “invitation” has snowballed into Flav hosting what he’s calling the “She Got Game” weekend in Las Vegas for all U.S. Olympic and Paralympic women athletes. When personalities create pop culture moments, smart brands can add something meaningful to the moment. Clock it.

The pivot: On Monday, Flav said he’d be happy to host the U.S. women’s hockey team in Las Vegas and celebrate them properly. Flav also invited the skeleton and bobsled teams he championed at the Games, and in collaboration with The GIST on Tuesday, extended the invitation to all Team USA women Olympians and Paralympians who earned medals at Milano Cortina 2026.

• Flav also signaled opportunities for hospitality and travel brands to help make it possible with sponsored travel. “I’m sure I can get a hotel and airline to help me out here and celebrate these women for real for real,” he wrote on X.

The response: Flav called out some brands and sectors that responded happily, but many more saw the opportunity and volunteered their services. After offering services as a media partner, The GIST worked with StubHub and Flav to amplify the event. Alaska Airlines offered to cover air travel, while various brands like Michael’s, Opi, Belk, and Amika are finding ways to pitch in.

• The idea has already landed plenty of local support. The city of Las Vegas was thrilled and tagged in MGM Resorts, Caesar’s Palace, and Harrah’s to participate. Palms Casino Resort also entered the chat to pledge its support, while Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena offered to host events.

Zooming out: In the comments, fans are praising Flav and brands that are supporting women athletes, which is backed by data that fans notice companies in the space and respond to them more favorably.

• While it’s great to support Flav and cosign what he’s doing, savvy brands can single out similar opportunities as they arise. After Tiger Woods made a sexist joke about using a tampon in February 2023, The GIST launched a campaign to donate period products for each of his strokes at the 2023 Masters. A stroke of genius.

The GIST: This week, British tennis star Emma Raducanu left Nike to ink a multiyear deal with Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo, following in the footsteps of heavy-hitters like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The move illustrates how athletes and smaller brands have more leverage than ever when it comes to sports apparel giants. Let’s dive in.

The context: Nike signed Raducanu at 15 years old, three years before her breakout win at the 2021 US Open, her only Grand Slam title to date. After her victory, she landed major brand deals with Evian, Dior, and British Airways, among others. This is typical: Sports apparel giants like Nike and New Balance — which signed Coco Gauff at 14 — compete to identify and sign rising talent.

• But Raducanu’s portfolio is changing after not winning a title since 2021, including Vodafone reportedly ending its deal with her last year. Still, she has 2.9M Instagram followers — only Aryna Sabalenka has more among active WTA athletes — and is popular in East Asia due to her Chinese heritage.

• That’s what makes the Uniqlo deal compelling: It shows Raducanu still has “significant commercial pulling power” despite recent injuries and losses. This positions her for a potentially similar path to Naomi Osaka, who has successfully pivoted her portfolio to not hinge on athletic success.

The leverage: Nike and other major brands aren’t the only game in town anymore for top tennis athletes, who are increasingly drawn to newer brands on the court like Vuori and Lululemon. Sometimes they’re able to offer more money or attention than bigger brands. And social media is a great equalizer — athletes can still get high exposure and engagement without a Nike campaign.

The takeaway: Nike arguably retains the biggest names in tennis right now, but this shows how an alternative brand can bet on an athlete and cash in on their popularity with little to lose. It’s not just Uniqlo: Emerging tennis brands all have this opportunity to court athletes if they can bring something unique to the table.

• Like Osaka, Raducanu has managed to establish herself as a cultural figure independent of her success — and that works for the trendy Uniqlo, which is primed for an international superstar to match its quest for global dominance. If the shoe fits.

🔥 Welcome back to The Heat Check, our weekly feature spotlighting the spiciest Unrivaled showdowns. Time flies when you’re having fun: We’ve reached the regular-season finale with four games gracing our screens starting tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET. Permission to start the weekend early? Granted.

🌧️ Mist BC at 💿 Vinyl BC — Tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. ET — TNT

• All six playoff teams are locked in, but all-important seeding is still on the line. Breanna Stewart and the second-place Mist are coming for one of two coveted first-round byes…unless Rae Burrell decides to turn it up for the Vinyl again.