Bet on women’s sports
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Happy almost Thanksgiving!
It’s been a bountiful week for the Dallas Wings, who scored the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft for the second year in a row on Sunday. Drafting Paige Bueckers last year was a financial boon for the franchise, which now faces a tough decision: Unlike the past two years, there’s no clear frontrunner for the top pick...despite fan hope.
- It’s a lot to chew on — and on that note, we’ll be out for the Thanksgiving holiday and see you back here on December 2nd.
Sports betting
💰 Bet on women(‘s sports)
The GIST: Last week, Rival — set to be the first sportsbook built exclusively for women’s sports — shared its plans to be active in three U.S. betting markets by 2026. The platform will include bets across the NWSL, WNBA, NCAA women’s basketball, WSL, WTA, and more, differing from the existing platforms that center men’s sports.
- Although the sportsbook market is already saturated, smaller books are seeing the opportunity in women’s sports — and Rival may be onto something by creating a separate space for the women’s sports fan community. Turning the page.
The details: Rival is planning a regulated 2026 launch to reach bettors in Colorado, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, after which the app will expand to all 38 states where betting is legal. The platform was built by creative strategist and producer Kelly DiPaola and was inspired by her partner, Jodie Taylor, a former England Lioness who’s now an executive for Arsenal.
The landscape: As sports betting has become widely legalized, DraftKings and FanDuel have developed a duopoly that’s been tough to topple — ESPN is shutting down its betting operation after failing to break through. Other big players in the space include BetMGM and Fanatics. Notably, all companies have betting markets for women’s sports and partnerships with leagues or teams.
The Clark Effect: The WNBA and women’s college basketball (WBB) have seen substantial betting growth, much of which is fueled by Caitlin Clark. Clark has driven a significant portion of WNBA bets: On ESPN BET, 20% of all handle for 2024 regular-season games involved the Indiana Fever, and overall, Clark’s 2024 games drew twice as many additional bets as games without her.
- These trends existed when Clark was in college, where wagering increased 540% on 2024 March Madness games with the star. But even after her departure, this trend continues in the college space as BetMGM reported in March that 35% more money was wagered on WBB YoY.
The uphill battle: While most sportsbooks have seen betting percentage growth around women’s sports, these increases are from a small base. Per Rival, less than 5% of women’s sports competitions appear on major betting apps. The majority of bets by Americans are placed on football, while before 2024, W games generated about 5% of the money wagered on the NBA.
- It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first such attempt in the sector. In 2023, Gaming Society — a sports betting platform focusing on women’s sports — ceased operations indefinitely after running out of funds.
Zooming out: Part of Rival’s rationale for entering the ecosystem is to amplify betting in women’s sports since most platforms still aren’t built with these fans in mind. We’ve seen the success of media entities built for women’s sports fans (The GIST, Togethxr, Just Women’s Sports) as well as the rising popularity of sports bars catering to the women’s sports community.
- Focusing on women’s sports leagues broadly, as well as fostering community, could be a winning formula in a saturated space, especially considering U.S. women’s sports fans follow more leagues than average. And let’s not forget that many female bettors — many of whom bet on women’s sports — are motivated by a sense of community. ‘Cause girls is players too.
📺 Sinclair moves in to acquire Scripps after minority stake purchase
One week after Sinclair acquired a minority stake in Scripps, the Tennis Channel parent is now looking to purchase the company outright at $7 a share. This is substantially higher than the $4.40 per share that the company is currently trading at (which is a 40% boost following last week’s news).
- Sinclair anticipates a $2.9B valuation if the acquisition goes through with a $325M annual haul, thanks in part to new revenue opportunities — let’s not forget how Scripps’ Ion network is steadfastly building a women’s sports broadcasting empire.
🏟️ SponsorUnited shares data on venue naming rights amid growth in women’s sports
According to the sponsorship insights platform, brands dropped nearly $900M on venue naming rights across all seven large U.S. pro leagues this season, including the WNBA and NWSL. SponsorUnited also noted 21 venues remained unsponsored, providing an estimated $100M-$135M annual opportunity.
- Another emerging opportunity in this sector? The ability to name practice facilities. The WNBA’s Seattle Storm and NWSL’s KC Current are a few teams that have seized such an opportunity, and interestingly, so has Denver Summit FC despite its stadium woes.
🏒 PWHL Vancouver makes PWHL history with opening night attendance
On Friday, the Vancouver Goldeneyes hosted the Seattle Torrent for the first-ever game for the two expansion teams, drawing a sellout crowd of nearly 15K at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum, home of the NHL’s Canucks. According to the PWHL, it was the eighth-largest crowd in league history and the largest for any game at a team’s primary home venue.
🤺 U.S. Olympic fencers launch new global fencing league focused on equity
Last week, Olympic fencing icon Miles Chamley-Watson launched the World Fencing League to capitalize on the popular Olympic sport. Fellow American Olympic fencer Lee Kiefer — the first woman to win individual gold in the foil event — is also helping start the league as the two put gender equity and mixed events at its center.
- The organization, which anticipates global broadcasting reach and prize purses exceeding $100K, is planning its first showcase in LA next April. Coule.
✨ LSU women’s basketball star Flau’jae Johnson teamed up with Instagram to renovate the high school girls’ basketball team’s locker room at her alma mater, which included a glam station, beauty products, and Meta glasses for the players.
🏎️ F1 inked a multiyear partnership last week, committing all current F1 teams to sponsoring an F1 Academy livery and driver, with the forthcoming Cadillac team confirming they’ll do the same by 2027.
🚗 Oak View Group (OVG) and Lyft announced a multiyear national partnership, making Lyft the official rideshare partner for more than 75 OVG venues, including Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and Hartford’s PeoplesBank Arena. Beep beep.
🇰🇷 Per a new report, Korean content is the world’s most-watched non-English programming — sports can get innovative around this the way LAFC did with K-pop night. Next level.
⚾ Pitcher Kelsie Whitmore was the first overall pick in the first-ever Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) draft last Thursday, which makes her the first woman in a pro baseball league since 1954.
🏀 The New York Liberty are reportedly hiring Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco as the team’s head coach, filling the WNBA’s last vacancy as of now. Tune into today’s episode of The GIST of It for more.
🏆 Angel City FC forward Ali Riley was the recipient of the 2025 Ally Award, which grants $45K to a player nominated by their teammates for their dedication to the community.
⚽ Nike NYC hosted a NWSL Championship watch party for local teens and families, celebrating the third pro sports title win for NYC within three years. ICYMI, there’s a blueprint for their success…
🛍️ What to check out
Unilever’s creator and social strategy for next year’s World Cup. The company is planning to make the event its biggest-ever marketing push, moving away from traditional television and toward a “many to many” approach prioritizing paid social and influencer marketing.
📈 What to read
All about the success of the Washington Spirit. Spirit CEO Kim Stone shares how the NWSL club is setting new marks for revenue and commercial success by pivoting to a “revenue mindset” and building professional infrastructure.
🎤 Who to know
Kayla Grey. The TSN anchor opens up about her career journey and the power of community.
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