Sports Business | The GIST

Dove amplifies winning marketing message through continued women’s sports campaigns

Last week, Dove rolled out its latest women’s sports campaign, “#ChangeTheCompliment,” by activating with NSL team AFC Toronto for its October 19th playoff game. The brand, which has spent years building women’s confidence with diverse representations of beauty, is seizing open opportunities in women’s sports — and for good reason.

October 31, 2025

K-pop activation at MLS playoff game signals prime opportunity for women’s sports to play into K-pop fandom

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Korean entertainment company HYBE (which cultivated K-pop sensations BTS and Katseye) is getting into sports, sponsoring MLS club LAFC’s first playoff game later today at BMO Stadium. Inspired by Korean player Son Heung-Min’s impact on the team, HYBE is celebrating Korean culture with popular eats from Koreatown staple Love Hour and a lightshow set to K-pop hits.

October 29, 2025

Black Star shares details amid upcoming player showcase amid data proving power of Black soccer fandom

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Today, Black Star — ForSoccer’s media and events brand cultivating Black soccer culture — announced the player lineup and an exclusive capsule collection for the Allstate Next Wave National Showcase, the first national showcase displaying the skills of the top-ranked Black women soccer players in the U.S.

October 29, 2025

Tour de France sponsor Zwift illustrates how a brand can transform a sport

Last week, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift confirmed its 2026 route, which will be the race’s longest course in its four-year history. And rather than beginning immediately after the men’s Tour de France, the women’s race will now begin one week later, with the push for a longer course and a separate schedule fueled by explosive interest in the women’s race.

October 27, 2025

Ally shares survey data on spending habits among sports fans across genders, generations

This week, prominent sports sponsor Ally released survey data on 3K Gen Z, millennial, Gen X, and Boomer sports fans to understand how and where sports fans spend their money. The study illustrates spending differences by generation and gender, including details on the spending profile of women sports fans.

October 24, 2025

Mikaela Shiffrin launches personal brand, podcast to capitalize on upcoming Winter Olympics and beyond

Yesterday, legendary Olympic alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin announced her new personal brand and logo as she prepares to win over fans with her persona. And the timing couldn’t be better: The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup and Milano Cortina 2026 are just around the corner.

October 24, 2025

Canada’s NSL debuts its celebration to honor winningest team and fans

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The Northern Super League (NSL) ended its inaugural season yesterday with a Fan Appreciation Match for its popular club, AFC Toronto, which finished with the most regular-season points. Because of that, the NSL used the appreciation night to also award the Supporters’ Shield, a trophy that rewards the winningest team while also acknowledging the value of its fans.

October 20, 2025

Sports Business

Apple inks WSL deal amid white space in European women’s soccer for tech brands, streamers

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October 17, 2025

Yesterday, tech giant Apple announced an extensive partnership with the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Super League 2 (WSL 2), the top two tiers of women's pro soccer in the U.K. Through the deal, each team will utilize the latest Apple products to capture and analyze game footage in real time.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #504

Being paid not to work: A college football story

October 30, 2025

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Being paid not to work: A college football story

Buyouts, buyouts, buyouts.

The NCAA football landscape looks a bit different than it did when the season kicked off in August, especially after three head coaches of AP Preseason Top 25 teams were fired for underperformance. But they aren’t walking away empty-handed: All three are owed tens of millions of dollars from their respective schools.

On today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz set the scene for the college football coaching carousel before examining the ripple effects of letting a good-but-not-great coach go. Hut hut, here they go.

A big thank you to BMO for sponsoring today’s pod! BMO has been committed to growing the beautiful game in North America for two decades. Today, BMO supports the NWSL’s Angel City FC and is the official bank of the Northern Super League. Learn more by visiting our Soccer Help Desk today.