Burnin’ up
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Happy Friday!
ICYMI, the WNBA reminded everyone this week that the women’s game isn’t just for women fans: 57% of this season’s W fans were men. The league has also seen 130% viewership growth among male fans under 18 over the past four years, including a 34% spike around Caitlin Clark’s debut — but let’s not forget about the basketball girlies.
- Overall, the WNBA’s increased fan power lends staying power to these teams, too. In the past, W teams have been booted from their arenas to lesser venues, losing home court advantage in the process. These days, the Phoenix Mercury is shutting out the Jonas Brothers from its home court amid a deep playoff run. Burnin’ up.
Volleyball
🏐 Free ball
The GIST: This week, Sports Business Journal shared details on how USA Volleyball is approaching a key opportunity in the women’s game. Along with Canada, the governing body is reportedly submitting a bid to FIVB to host the 2027 women’s world indoor volleyball championship. If chosen, it would be the first time the tournament has taken place stateside.
- Volleyball is already on the rise in the U.S., so what’s the big deal? As we’ve seen across several women’s sports, hosting an international tournament can boost domestic exposure, leading to increased participation and fandom — something the burgeoning volleyball pipeline still needs. Set for success.
The details: USA Volleyball is presenting its bid in partnership with marketing firm Playfly Sports and Anaheim venue OCVibe, which will also play host to the sport during LA28. If USA Volleyball wins, LA would host the event’s final rounds a year before the Olympics — although Turkey and Italy are also expected to submit bids.
The context: Volleyball’s popularity is spiking at every level of the game. It remains the most popular team sport for high school girls in the U.S., a top collegiate sport recruiting global talent amid increased viewership and attendance, and a budding professional sport with three leagues: LOVB, Major League Volleyball, and Athletes Unlimited.
Zooming out: Hosting a global tournament matters because it tends to bolster national pride, passive exposure, and youth participation — not to mention a nation’s coffers. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup saw Australians tune into the tourney at higher rates than expected, with the Matildas encouraging patriotism and a desire to play sports.
- Plus, the launch of North American pro volleyball leagues has boosted domestic exposure and participation. This should, in turn, drive more interest in the 2027 championship, like the introduction of the PWHL did for last year’s IIHF Women’s World Hockey championship. That’s one way to break the ice.
X Games
🏂 Wicked games
The GIST: The X Games — ESPN’s iconic action sports competition that made sports like snowboarding and BMX mainstream and drove their Olympic inclusion — is ready for its glow-up. After its private equity acquisition in 2022, the X Games unveiled new branding and shared details about its forthcoming X Games League this week.
- Let’s review what the new-look X Games are capitalizing on and why these strategies work to reach the modern sports fan. Nothing’s too extreme.
❎ X Games League: In 2026, the competition — led by former WNBA executive Annie Lokesh — will move from an individual-based tournament format to a year-round team-based league, making it the first action sports league with this format. Over 150 athletes have declared for next summer’s inaugural draft, even though there are only 40 roster spots.
- The league hopes to offer more than its current $2.4M in prizes, new pathways for athlete compensation, and improved athlete storytelling, resembling the trajectories for emerging niche sports leagues like AUSL and Athlos.
🌎 Around the world: In the past, the X Games successfully reached international markets across Europe, Asia, Brazil, and Australia, which spurred action sports participation and events in these locales. However, the X Games League wants to take it a step further with more international locations that offer local-language broadcasts.
- The X Games were also famous for blending music and sport, but tomorrow’s X Games League wants to also infuse culture, tech, and community. While the X Games League is revamping its tried-and-true formula for a global Gen Z audience, we’ve seen the “sportsfest” atmosphere thrive at events like TST, Athlos, and the US Open.
📱 A new era: Speaking of tech, the X Games are ready to embrace recent advancements, like AI–powered judging, which is being used for Olympic athletes but remains cutting-edge for sports tournaments. The organization also plans to lean into sports betting and fantasy sports.
- And how is the core Y2K brand going over with today’s generation of fans? The X Games have doubled YouTube subscribers to 2M since hitting 1M in 2020 and grew total reach to over 16M across its channels. X marks the spot.
⭐ Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC) teams up with Allstate, Black Star for showcase
The BWPC — a nonprofit founded by Black pro women’s players to create opportunities for Black girls in soccer — is hosting a showcase in November to find and develop the next generation of Black soccer players. Black Star, marketing firm For Soccer’s community-driven media brand, will cover the event as insurance giant Allstate steps up as a primary sponsor.
- The event will field around 30 of the nation’s leading Black high school soccer players to help build out a stronger pipeline. According to BWPC data, Black players comprise nearly half the USWNT and 12% of the NWSL, up from 3.8% in 2020. She’s got next.
🍋 Data insights platform SponsorUnited reexamines NWSL, WNBA insights
Last month, SponsorUnited doubled back over some of the data it’s gathered from recent reports on WNBA and NWSL sponsorships. Previously, we shared details on who entered the NWSL chat and dropped serious cash, but SponsorUnited singled out a buzzworthy opportunity: The dearth of spiked seltzer partners in these two women’s leagues.
- Though this specific category ranks 40th across all major pro U.S. sports leagues in number of sponsorship deals, there’s only two such brands sponsoring teams across the WNBA and NWSL’s 27 franchises.
🇪🇸 LaLiga enjoys American sponsor, fan support thanks to accessible ESPN coverage
Yesterday, retail giant Walmart announced a multiyear deal with LaLiga, citing a desire to engage the sport’s growing multicultural fanbase. The Spanish men’s football league has been busy kicking it with other popular U.S. brands like Lowe’s, McDonald’s, Remitly, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation after recording its most-watched season on ESPN.
- Men’s leagues like the Premier League and LaLiga have found a haven in the U.S. among sponsors, fans, and media entities, but their corresponding women’s leagues are having a tougher go of it: ESPN botched its renewal of WSL rights and Liga F is locked into a deal with DAZN through 2027. Playing for keeps.
Together With Canadian Women & Sport
Girls in sport know what they need to keep playing. And now, we all do too, thanks to Canadian Women & Sport asking them. Here’s a sneak peek of their findings:
📋 Coach for her by leading with intention and prioritizing connection and empowerment
💸 Invest in her by supporting girls with time, energy, and funds
👷 Design for her by building systems with girls at the center, not on the sideline
Keeping girls in the game is our collective responsibility because it benefits everyone. Learn more here.
🌴 The LA Sparks are dropping $150M on a new practice facility that will open in 2027. Practice makes perfect.
💄 NWSL partner E.l.f. Cosmetics expanded its partnership with England’s Tottenham Hotspur F.C. for the upcoming Carabao Cup to include jersey branding for its men’s team as well.
🏦 The Houston Dynamo and Dash secured a multiyear sponsorship with Regions Bank that will rename Shell Energy Stadium’s premium hospitality space to the Regions Bank Club.
👁️ Design platform Canva found that visual content triggered memory encoding 74% faster and increased emotional intensity by 26% when used in documents. Something to keep an eye on.
💪 Sports drink BodyArmor partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to reach over 7K kids, citing deficiencies in physical activity and adequate hydration among U.S. children.
💼 Private investment firm BellTower Partners made a strategic investment into the USL, with BellTower founder Kewsong Lee becoming vice chair of its board of directors.
🍺 Netflix solidified a partnership with prominent sports sponsor AB Inbev to advertise across sporting events like its NFL Christmas Day broadcast and the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Drink it in.
Recs from our roster!
⚾ What to read
This interview with Alex Hugo about the Women’s Professional Baseball League. We're nearing the debut of another women's pro sports league in North America, with almost 600 hopefuls showing up for recent tryouts in Washington, D.C.
🛍️ What to shop
Round21’s WNBA collection. Founder Jasmine Maietta, a former pro basketball player, envisioned a platform that would unite artists, athletes, and fans to tell their stories. The company's WNBA collection, born out of a mutual love for sports and modern art, is a testament to that vision.
🐱 Who to know
Pudge, the shorthair Persian cat who has become a viral sensation after helping the Bowling Green State University football team.
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