Everything is bigger in Texas…even pickleball. This weekend, Dallas hosted the CIBC Texas Open, which included both amateurs and Professional Pickleball Association Tour pro players. Last Tuesday, The GIST spoke with Twisted Pickle — a Dallas-based pickleball marketing agency co-owned by Ashlee Erickson Blakley and Suzanne Greever — about the sport’s explosive growth.

Last week, Nike hosted its first-ever Coach The Dream event at its world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. The goal was to highlight the impact of coaching on the next generation of athletes and discuss how the sports ecosystem can evolve to keep kids in the game through conscientious coaching, which could lessen the gender gap in youth sports.

Yesterday, the NCAA Board of Governors and the Power Five conferences voted to settlement terms in House v. NCAA, the lawsuit claiming the NCAA’s pre–NIL ban on student-athlete compensation violated antitrust regulations. The settlement, if approved by the judge, will change college sports’ business model, creating industry-altering shockwaves.

Last Thursday, Parity — a sponsorship platform that connects brands with women athletes — released a study in partnership with SurveyMonkey. The results contain the “most robust” data on women’s sports fans globally, Parity CEO Leela Srinivasan told The GIST.

The WNBA is more popular than ever — which means we’re getting more lame takes from men too ignorant to learn the game. NBA writer Ethan Strauss and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons are the latest male journalists to join the list, but they’re drowned out by a women’s basketball community that’s bigger than ever.

Broadcaster Scripps is a relative newcomer to the women’s sports space, but has already seen significant wins by investing in local markets and the emerging women’s sports sector. Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor spoke with The GIST last month about what’s been working for the thriving platform.

’Ship season is back, back again. Here’s the lowdown on this weekend’s hardware-hoisting:

Tomorrow marks the two-year anniversary of Ally’s 50/50 Pledge, which aims to close the gender gap in sports advertising with an equal spend on women’s and men’s sports. The GIST checked in with Ally CMO Andrea Brimmer last week to commemorate the milestone and discuss where the brand hopes to expand next.

After investing millions in women’s soccer and restructuring the WNBL, Australia is turning its attention to women’s cricket. Governing body Cricket Australia (CA) unveiled a 10-year plan yesterday formulated with input from top players on how to grow the game, which includes a goal to boost revenue by $65.3M to reach $79.1M by 2034.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a controversial bill that mandates TikTok parent ByteDance either sell its ownership stake in the social media platform or face a ban in the U.S. If TikTok is banned, the move could devastate the economy built around the platform and have unique implications for women’s sports.

Let’s get personal. The GIST is joining forces with dedicated women’s sports marketing and sponsorship platform Parity to launch our new Athlete Roster offering, which will integrate athlete talent into branded content shared between our platforms. The first-of-its kind partnership allows both companies to uplift women athletes in a brand new way.

Today, the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) and Ally agreed to a multiyear extension of their existing sponsorship deal through 2027. The recommitment comes as Ally continues to advance its 50/50 Pledge goal and further proves the viability of partnering with pro players unions in women’s sports.