Basketball

Unrivaled announces $340M valuation, plans for upcoming season

On Monday, Unrivaled shared that after last December’s successful Series A investment round, the league’s recent Series B round brought its valuation to $340M, or almost 10x its initial May 2024 valuation. With investors and sponsors circling the next big thing in women’s basketball, let’s dive into why the league works and what makes it truly unrivaled.

September 10, 2025

Nailcare brand Orly’s VP Tal Pink shares insights on the brand’s LA Sparks partnership

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This week, nailcare brand Orly celebrated its 50th anniversary by launching its first-ever sports partnership with the LA Sparks. As nailcare brands begin tapping on women’s sports, we enjoyed an in-depth conversation with Orly about how consumer trends and its LA roots led to this partnership.

August 22, 2025

WNBA reportedly prefers Houston over bids to keep Connecticut Sun in New England

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This week, Front Office Sports (FOS) shared updates on the ongoing saga surrounding the sale of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. In early August, weeks after Steve Pagliuca pledged a record $325M to bring the Sun to Boston, FOS reported the Mohegan Tribe approved the deal, but the W never did.

August 15, 2025

Relo Metrics CEO Jay Prasad shares 2025 WNBA season insights on sponsorship media value

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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.

August 01, 2025

Overtime Select shares engagement metrics ahead of its second season’s tip-off

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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.

August 01, 2025

Caitlin Clark card shatters records as the WNBA superstar transforms the women’s sports trading cards landscape

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The Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark has shattered records once again — or at least her likeness has. Last Thursday, a signed one-of-one Panini trading card depicting Clark sold for $660K, beating the previous $366K record set by another of Clark’s Panini cards in March. Let’s explore how Clark has recalibrated the memorabilia market with her unparalleled WNBA stardom.

July 28, 2025

SponsorUnited CEO Bob Lynch shares insights on inaugural WNBA Partnerships Report

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Yesterday, sponsorship insights platform SponsorUnited released its inaugural WNBA Partnerships Report, covering 12 WNBA teams over 2024 season and the 2025 season so far. The report — which Lynch says has been three years in the making — notes a 17% surge in deals during the 2025 WNBA season alone.

July 25, 2025

Sports Business

WNBA teams lead the way in social media engagement among pro sports teams

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July 23, 2025

Earlier this month, Sports Business Journal shared data from sponsorship analytics platform Blinkfire on social media engagement among professional North American sports teams. Eight of the top 10 are WNBA teams, led by the Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, and Golden State Valkyries.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #493

Nostalgia-core: How pop culture is winning over casual sports fans

September 16, 2025

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Nostalgia-core: How pop culture is winning over casual sports fans

Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

ICYMI, nostalgia is having a moment at the box office — and now, we’re seeing that translate to the sports world. Inspired by the news that Bend It Like Beckham is getting a long-awaited sequel, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz are diving into the business of sports movie sequels on today’s episode of The GIST of It, including how pop culture moments can turn casual sports viewers into devoted fans.

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