Like a comet pulled from orbit
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Let's kick it!
That’s what 63K soccer fans did at Denver’s Mile High Stadium this weekend to welcome Denver Summit FC, breaking the NWSL’s single-day attendance record by over 20K. Soccer legends Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy were present, as were Carolina Panthers quarterback (and NWSL investor) Bryce Young and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. Finding our way.
WNBA
🏀 Trading places
The GIST: On Friday, the Mohegan Tribe — the longtime ownership group of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun — reportedly sold the team to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and family for a record $300M. The move solidified months of speculation that the W would steer the sale toward Houston after the league reportedly denied Boston’s even higher bid for $325M.
- While missing out on one of the nation’s top sports markets puzzled many, especially after historic W crowds at TD Garden, Houston does have a lot to offer, including a nostalgic brand that few other WNBA bids can top. Like a comet pulled from orbit.
The context: Sun president Jen Rizzotti has been vocal about wanting to keep the team in New England and serve the fanbase it’s developed there for 23 years. So when Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca offered $325M for the team last year, it seemed a likely move. But the league shut down the sale, preferring groups that went through the formal bid process ahead of Boston.
- WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously said Houston was next after granting expansion teams to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia, which will all debut in later seasons. For now, the Sun will remain in Uncasville, CT, through the 2026 season and will relocate to Houston in 2027.
- In addition to wanting cities to submit formal bids, the W seems to prefer ones backed by NBA ownership — such has been the case in the Bay Area, Toronto, Portland, and the three aforementioned markets. All have wealthy and experienced owners who can support the clause in the recently-ratified CBA requiring all WNBA teams to have elite facilities.
The city: Beyond Fertitta’s NBA resources, the nation’s fourth-largest city has much to offer women’s sports franchises. The NWSL’s Houston Dash has been there since 2014, while the McNair family — who helm the NFL’s Houston Texans — spearheaded the purchase of LOVB Houston last November. What’s more, 60% of residents are enthusiastic about hosting a W team.
- Houston offers another selling point: A chance to revive the Houston Comets franchise, the league’s earliest dynasty boasting the era’s best ballers. Residents express civic pride in the Comets’ prior success, and this fan buy-in combined with NBA–level resources (including the team’s new Toyota Center home) made Houston a very attractive option.
Zooming out: In its 30-year history, the W has seen its share of ups and downs, with many teams moving and others, like the Comets, disbanding. Today, things are different: Everyone is banking on league expansion, and cities are lining up and waving millions to join the club. And for a handful of cities, there’s a unique opportunity to feed into sports nostalgia by resurrecting a franchise.
- This is what Portland did with its brand rollout last summer, a move that was ultimately successful: The Fire leads the league in new ticket sales. As in Portland, Houstonians are hyped to have their team back — and so are Detroiters who might be in for a shock. Electrifying.
🏈 NFL teams up with TMRW Sports to run its professional flag football league
In December, the NFL announced its plans to work with a group to operate a new professional flag league for women’s and men’s teams, and yesterday, that partner was confirmed. The league is working with TMRW Sports, which operates golf’s TGL and WTGL, and has welcomed athlete investors such as Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Alex Morgan, and Billie Jean King.
- Prominent PE funds like Silver Lake, Sixth Street, and Arctos Partners will also be backing the endeavor, further signaling the viability of the NFL’s flag investment. Huddle up.
🏏 American investment in Indian cricket signals billion-dollar opportunity
Indian cricket teams are fielding billions in investment from heavyhitting global partners, a sign that everyone is seeing the opportunity in the South Asian cricket market, including American PE and asset management firms. The Rajasthan Royals are pending sale for $1.6B, delivering a 8x return for investor RedBird Capital and 90x return for Lachlan Murdoch.
- Meanwhile, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru — which includes the men’s Indian Premier League franchise and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchise — is selling for $1.78B to an investor group that includes Blackstone. Other newcomers keep flocking to Indian cricket, like ChatGPT did in its first-ever sports league partnership with the WPL.
🥎 AUSL’s Utah Talons recruit college coach, signifying opportunity for sport’s top coaches
AUSL tapped University of Central Florida (UCF) head coach Cindy Ball-Malone to replace Howard Dobson as the head coach of the Utah Talons for its upcoming season. Interestingly, Ball-Malone will remain with UCF and work with the Talons, highlighting a prime opportunity for the sport’s top coaches — largely in the college circuit — to double as pro coaches in AUSL. Double play.
💄 Ulta Beauty followed up its inaugural athlete roster with its first-ever Roster for Change grant program to encourage girls to remain in sports. Building a solid foundation.
⛳ Women’s sports investor Alexis Ohanian bought his second WTGL team for $20M amid rising valuations on the men’s side.
👕 The Golden State Valkyries debuted its new jerseys that introduce violet and gold for the first time and feature founding partners Chase and Kaiser Permanente logo patches on the front.
🥤 Stanley 1913 teamed up with women’s sports media and merch brand Togethxr for a new “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” drinkware collection. Our cup runneth over.
👟 Nike and Sabrina Ionescu are set to tour Asia this April following the WNBA star’s successful inaugural tour last year catering to the region’s surging women’s basketball fandom.
🥇 Olympians are speaking out against the IOC’s recent controversial decision to reinstate sex verification tests for athletes in women’s sports, which are set to begin in LA28.
🏛️ A U.S. district judge denied the NCAA’s motion for a temporary restraining order against DraftKings to prevent the betting platform from using trademarked March Madness–related terms. Guess that bet didn’t pan out…
⚽ What to watch
NWSL: The Final Third. ESPN’s new docuseries follows Angel City FC, the Washington Spirit, and the Kansas City Current through the 2025 season, offering rare access from the locker room to the front office. The league’s growth era, documented.
🏀 What to do
Try Azzi Fudd’s workout. The UConn star walks through her in-season routine in SELF, from Mikan drills to upper-body strength work that powers her on-court performance.
📊 What to check out
Unrivaled player social data. This fan-run account tracked how Unrivaled players’ followings grew throughout the season — including a collective gain of more than 350K Instagram followers.
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