More pro women’s basketball?
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Morning!
University of Tennessee’s football program is pouring out a cup of ambition this season, donning butterfly stickers on their helmets to celebrate the life of the inimitable Dolly Parton. The ultimate multihyphenate, Dolly’s legacy is intertwined with East Tennessee’s — so cue up the icon’s version of Rocky Top, and let’s get down to business.
Women's basketball
🏀 Goin’ up, up, up
The GIST: While the NBA, MLB, and NHL have distinct talent developmental systems, the WNBA has…a major gap. To help change this, the Upshot League launched this May in hopes of creating more stateside opportunities for elite players.
- It’s not an official developmental partner of the W, but in one season, Upshot’s success shows the appetite for professional women’s hoops is growing and the league is primed to grow right along with it. Oh and did we mention, this allows more women to stay in basketball? Love it.
The details: Co-founded by former WNBA president, Donna Orender, and Andy Kaufmann, the CEO of Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, the four-team league played primarily in the southeastern U.S. and used existing arenas in cities like Greensboro, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida to keep costs low. Upshot boasted several sellouts and averaged over 2K attendees per game.
The opportunity: Unrivaled and overseas basketball leagues provide opportunities for elite players to make money year-round, while Upshot strategically runs alongside the WNBA season to help players stay game-ready.
- The ability to be scouted by the W and fill in a roster spot when injuries inevitably hit is a huge differentiator, especially when 70% of Upshot players already have WNBA experience or direct connections. Two players were called up during the season, and since Upshot’s championship game last Saturday, another two players have also received the nod.
Zooming out: Upshot creates more space for women in pro basketball and that extends far beyond the players to include coaches, training staff, marketing, front office leadership, and more. On top of that, it’s inspiring fans in underserved markets like Charlotte, North Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia.
- Developmental leagues in men’s sports have typically been formed when talent outpaces roster spots and the WNBA has absolutely reached this point. With two more Upshot teams debuting next year, expect the opportunities for this league and women’s pro hoops to continue to grow, too. Thirty teams sounds nice.
💪 New data-backed evidence reveals girls who play sports thrive in the workplace
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but a new study from E.l.f. Beauty and Parity revealed a strong connection between girls who play sports and women’s workplace performance — and this time it didn’t just focus on elite-level women athletes. The study’s pool of 9.5K respondents included “everyday athletes,” aka women who played at least three years of sports before the end of high school.
- The key differentiators for these sporty spices? Promotions (90% credited a skill learned in sports for their rise), senior leadership aspirations (37% more likely than women who played less or no sports), and confidence for salary negotiations (25% more likely). Mic drop.
⚽ Boston Legacy, Chicago Stars announce home venues for 2027 season
Turns out sometimes the grass is greener where you are…at least for now. Both Boston and Chicago will remain at their current stadiums for the 2027 NWSL season — the expansion club Legacy will play its sophomore campaign at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, while the Stars will stay put at Northwestern’s Martin Stadium.
- But that isn’t the long-term plan for either squad: The construction of the Legacy’s future home, White Stadium in Boston, seems to be back on track after facing its fair share of legal roadblocks, while the Stars are still on the hunt for a permanent place in the Windy City.
📊 The latest from Alexis Ohanian: Reddit for women’s sports
Ohanian has made some questionable choices lately, but this isn't one of them. The Reddit co-founder recently announced that he’s been working on a Reddit-style women’s sports hub called “The Stands,” which will feature discussion forums, live game threads, and game recaps for all major women’s sports leagues.
🏆 The WNBA Finals released new branding, marking the first design refresh in nearly 20 years. It includes a return of the championship trophy to the design, along with custom lettering.
🐈 The W also named Catbird as its official jewelry partner, with a collection designed to celebrate the league’s 30th birthday dropping today.
🏐 Spikes Under the Lights — the four-team NCAA women’s volleyball tournament at AT&T Stadium — drew 40K fans to see champion Nebraska take home $350K in NIL payments.
📈 Ticket prices are surging for some high-performing women athletes: The WNBA–leading Minnesota Lynx’s tix have jumped between 15.3% and 47.3% YoY, while US Open tickets to watch rising star Alex Eala have more than doubled. Winners win.
🚩 Team USA flag football star Izzy Geraci is TMRW Sports’ newest pro flag football ambassador.
👟 Two notable women athletes teased new collabs — Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark’s Taylor Swift–inspired ‘Friendship Bracelet’ signature Nikes will be available in February, and track & field star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s New Balance collection will drop next week.
⛳ Women’s Tomorrow Golf League announced team rosters for its upcoming inaugural season. Twenty-five athletes will participate, including world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, while No. 1 Nelly Korda is notably absent from the lineup.
🎾 Chase Sapphire Reserve celebrated bringing on tennis star Coco Gauff as an ambassador by throwing her a star-studded dinner in NYC and gifting her a custom necklace. Bling bling.
🕊️ Dove launched a new campaign with AFC Toronto drawing attention to girls dropping out of sports: An empty locker in the team’s locker room for Sunday’s match.
Today's email was brought to you by Rachel Fuenzalida, Lisa Minutillo, and Katie Foster. Fact checking by Bonnie Lee. Operations by Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Ali Haberstroh. Managing edits by Molly Potter and Katie Foster. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.