The overlap between luxury fashion and women’s sports continued this week with two designer-driven deals that recruited popular women athletes. On Wednesday, Coach revealed its athlete roster for its latest sneaker campaign, while New Balance (NB) furthered its Miu Miu collab the same day by debuting a Coco Gauff collection.

Last month, Pro Padel League (PPL) — the top U.S. professional padel league — raised a $10M seed round led by Left Lane Capital, a VC firm backing other startup leagues like LOVB and Shaun White’s Snow League. This week, we spoke with PPL CEO Mike Dorfman about why investors and sponsors are seizing the padel opportunity in the U.S.

Digital insurance company Gainbridge made a major play by teaming up with the United Soccer League (USL) yesterday. The USL’s Super League is now called the Gainbridge Super League, the first-ever title partnership for a U.S. pro soccer league. The partnership illustrates how brands are starting to recognize opportunities at all levels of the flourishing U.S. soccer pyramid.

Yesterday, AI–powered sports marketing data insights platform Relo Metrics officially added NWSL data to its Relo Census product, which the company touts as a must-have tool for marketers. By adding the soccer league’s data, brands can now see the ROI of NWSL sponsorships in real time, which will likely encourage even more investment in the league.

Yesterday, insurance company Aflac detailed the expansion of its existing WNBPA partnership, which includes increasing the prize pool at WNBA All-Star competitions this summer. Aflac’s creative — and visible — campaign illustrates the continued opportunity for brands to benefit from making big plays to close the gender pay gap.

The hype around projected No. 1 WNBA Draft pick Paige Bueckers is reminiscent of last year’s frenzy around aforementioned Fever star Caitlin Clark. Her entry into the league spurred spending around the Fever, the W, and Clark herself, and it seems the same is expected for Bueckers and her potential landing place, the Dallas Wings

While luxury retail brands have long been drawn to sports with affluent fanbases like tennis and golf, the industry is now seeing opportunities in women’s sports leagues like the WNBA and NWSL. Let’s take a closer look at two recent sponsorships that illustrate why it's smart to target women’s basketball and soccer fans.

On Monday, the Dallas Wings drafted UConn star Paige Bueckers first overall, and she’s expected to bring comparable economic impact as fellow W star Caitlin Clark did when she was drafted by the Indianapolis Fever last year. Let’s review how Clark boosted the local economy and elevated the Fever to one of the league’s most coveted brands.

On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated (SI) announced the creation of the SI Women’s Games, a six-sport competition scheduled for this fall. The tournament aims to capitalize on the surging popularity of women’s sports and exemplifies media companies working together to innovate ad packaging and scale up advertising inventory in the space.

The PWHL shared wins from its first-ever Takeover Tour today, which saw all six teams play games at nine different exhibition sites across the U.S. and Canada. Not only was this a brilliant strategy to market test in potential PWHL cities, but the tour spurred engagement and allowed the league to reach new hockey fans.

Since the beginning, the PWHL has been intentional in its development, from signing a CBA before the puck dropped to nabbing early broadcast and founding partners. One of those decisions — a deal with software company Greenfly — has provided insight into how athlete engagement behaviors can shape sponsorship, especially amid the growth opportunity of tunnel walks.

While viewership of this year’s NCAA women’s March Madness did dip in the post–Caitlin Clark era, women’s basketball fandom is certainly here to stay. The tournament wrapped with a dominant UConn win over South Carolina and so much more: A sold-out crowd, historic audiences, and promising growth.