The GIST

3XBA collabs with Rough & Tumble as sports leagues explore women’s sports bar partnerships

Last week, 3XBA — a professional touring FIBA 3x3 women’s basketball league — announced a unique partnership with Seattle’s Rough & Tumble Pub, the second-ever women’s sports bar. Through their new agreement, the two entities will promote one another through activations at live events.

June 30, 2025

Sundial Media and Technology Group inks unique partnership with Grand Slam Track

Sundial Media and Technology Group (SMTG) — the media and live events company behind Essence, Afropunk, and Refinery29 — finalized a unique partnership with Grand Slam Track (GST), a new track and field competition that kicked off this year. SMTG will facilitate media coverage of GST in addition to improving track day experiences for fans.

June 23, 2025

Tubi secures rights to new Naomi Osaka project as streamers develop more women’s sports content

As interest in women’s sports grows, so does the enthusiasm for content surrounding the women’s game. After seeing Netflix benefit from cult faves Drive to Survive and Full Swing, documentaries that converted new fans to F1 and golf, fellow streamers are considering how to leverage storytelling to win over young, more casual sports fans.

June 18, 2025

Investing in women athletes could be a game-changer for brands

Unlike the limit, the perfect women’s sports brand marketing strategy does exist — at least according to Parity, who released its latest research report yesterday about the business of women’s sports.

June 13, 2025

Inside the Lines with A.J. Andrews and Anna Hall

June 10, 2025

Final approval of House v. NCAA settlement agreement will reshape college sports

Last Friday, the $2.8B lawsuit settlement that will remake the business of college sports, House v. NCAA, was officially approved. This will usher in a new era where athletic departments can share up to about $20.5M of revenue per year directly with student-athletes via name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals.

June 09, 2025

SponsorUnited shares insights on WNBA and NWSL sponsorship revenue

This week, data insights platform SponsorUnited (SU) shared new intel with The GIST about revenue generation in the WNBA and NWSL. After comparing revenue and existing deals, the findings illustrate the leagues’ immense YoY growth while still underlining the remaining gap when compared to men’s sports.

June 06, 2025

Sports Business

The Sports Bra announces first franchise sites as women’s sports bars multiply across the country

June 04, 2025

Yesterday, Portland-based women’s sports bar The Sports Bra named the first four cities for its forthcoming expansion. Since opening in 2022, The Sports Bra has spurred a movement of independent women’s sports bars popping up across the U.S. and is now looking to become a multi-city franchise of its own.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #472

Business is booming: The WNBA’s record-setting expansion

July 01, 2025

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Business is booming: The WNBA’s record-setting expansion

Keep going, keep growing.

The WNBA announced their long-term expansion plans on Monday, revealing that the league is aiming to reach a whopping 18 teams in the next five years. Today’s episode of The GIST of It takes a closer look at why the WNBA chose Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia as their newest markets, with co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz breaking down the deets, including the record-setting expansion fee each squad will pay to join women’s basketball’s hottest club.

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