The WNBA is busy celebrating its 30-year anniversary, and a bevy of brands are showing up for the party. Newcomers from all categories are hopping on the Legacy Trail, with WNBA business growth AVP Keri Lenker telling us in April she’d love to continue bringing “new brands into the fold.” Last week, we caught up with CarMax CMO Sarah Lane on why the brand’s WNBA partnership is so valuable, from the benefit of athlete ambassadors to the “squishy” data that indicates W fans notice and appreciate CarMax for being there.

Today, Raj Sports is announcing exclusively through The GIST that it’s bringing back Epicenter Week, a five-day summer celebration in Portland promoting its NWSL and WNBA franchises. But Epicenter Week is much more than that — and it’s bigger and better this year thanks to prominent sponsor and nearby neighbor Nike.

Everyone wants to be in the women’s sports bar business these days, so The Sports Bra is making it easy for anyone to own a piece of the action. Yesterday, the Portland-based enterprise built on its expanding franchise business by rolling out a new investment opportunity: A crowdfunding campaign called “Own a Piece of The Bra.”

A horse named Golden Tempo defied the 23-1 odds during the 152nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, surging from last-place to win the Run for the Roses. With the victory, Cherie DeVaux became the first woman horse trainer to ever win the famed race — and her story is a true tale of groundbreaking grit.

Two new leagues — the World Fencing League (WFL) and International Dance League (IDL) — are gearing up to serve avid fandoms for niche sports. But are they really that niche? Maybe not, and brands are counting on that wide appeal. Let’s boogie.

Edmonton, Alberta, is a unique place. At roughly 1.2M residents, it’s dwarfed by larger Canadian cities like Toronto and Metro Vancouver — and though it doesn’t have its own professional women’s sports team, it’s become a hot spot for major women’s sporting events. That’s largely thanks to its tourism board, Explore Edmonton, which sees the economic and social value in these events. We spoke with sport and culture events director Cindy Medynski about why this strategy serves Edmonton and what other cities can learn. Small but mighty.

As the LA Sparks seek a fourth WNBA championship, they’re building a roster around big-name veterans like Kelsey Plum and Nneka Ogwumike. But one young superstar is also at the heart of the team and the WNBA at large: third-year forward Cameron Brink. Last week, we caught up with her to learn about how she’s built her illustrious brand portfolio with “intentional” partnerships — and how she turned a difficult injury setback into an opportunity to build her entrepreneurial skills.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a national study involving Gen Z teens yesterday, highlighting that sports and athletes heavily influence how teens perceive societal issues.