The GIST

PWHL partners with three new brands in Canada as league offers unique cross-border access

Hockey is huge in Canada, so naturally, the PWHL’s popularity is growing fast among Canadian fans and sponsors. After tipping off its second season with nearly 50 corporate partnerships, the league inked three more Canadian-based deals this week, demonstrating its interest in reaching women’s sports fans on both sides of the border.

December 13, 2024

PWHL inks two key partnerships ahead of its new season

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Winter is upon us, and so is the second season of the PWHL. After scoring serious business wins in year one, the pro women’s hockey league is gearing up for expansion, from adding two new teams by next year to signing multiple partnerships before Saturday’s puck dropped — including one in October with yours truly.

December 02, 2024

PWHL announces new branding for all six teams as it gears up for season two

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As mentioned, the PWHL unveiled new names, logos, and colors for its inaugural six franchises, which sparked intense reactions across the hockey community. Part of what caught fans off guard is that the PWHL decided team branding without major input from teams, players, or fans, which Front Office Sports explained is a result of the league’s structure.

September 11, 2024

PWHL drops playoff puck after record-setting inaugural season

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It’s been a big week for the PWHL as its regular season wraps up, but it’s been an even bigger season for the brand-new league. We’ve never seen anything quite like it in women’s pro sports, so let’s review the league’s many wins as it continues to reshape women’s hockey.

May 10, 2024

🏒 The PWHL effect on women’s hockey by the numbers

PWHL has demonstrable effect on IIHF Women’s World Hockey championship

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The U.S. lost to rival Canada in OT in the gold medal match of this year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship last night in Utica, NY. The competition, which began in 1990 and has featured these two nations in the championship 22 out of 23 times, introduced a new element to the ice this year: the PWHL. Here’s how the pro women’s hockey league is impacting the game.

April 15, 2024

PWHL lands three key partnerships as U.S. companies increase sponsorship in league

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The PWHL just keeps winning. This week, the women’s hockey league signed the Women’s Sports Network (WSN) as its first U.S. national broadcast partner and brought on two financial services companies — Bread Financial and Discover.

February 16, 2024

PWHL showcase draws a record 16.4K crowd at NHL All-Star Weekend

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The stars were out last Thursday during NHL All-Star Weekend, but Justin Bieber wasn’t the only one to steal the show. PWHL players shone in a 3-on-3 showcase in front of 16.4K fans at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, marking the first complete official event for women’s hockey at All-Star Weekend.

February 05, 2024

Sports Business

Woody Creek Distillers is the first premier U.S. partner of the PWHL

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January 10, 2024

With the move, the Colorado distillery follows a trend of alcoholic beverage companies investing extensively in women’s sports.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #422

Volleyball's spotlight moment, plus a College Football Playoff primer

December 19, 2024

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Volleyball's spotlight moment, plus a College Football Playoff primer

Hello, hello!
Forget the holidays — it’s playoff season for a few fall college sports: women’s volleyball and football. On this episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz first preview tonight’s national volleyball tournament semifinals, where all four No. 1 seeds will be duking it out for a spot in Sunday’s championship. And volleyball is just getting started in the U.S., with major news about the Pro Volleyball Federation and League One Volleyball dropping this week.
Then in part two, it’s all about the College Football Playoff, which begins on Friday night. The gals dig through the revamped 12-team format before shouting out the top players to watch on the gridiron. Hut, hut.
A big thank you to Aflac for partnering with us on today’s episode! Add Aflac to your team to close the insurance gap today. Learn more at aflac.com/thegist.