Playing it cool
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
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WNBA
🏀 Playing it cool
The GIST: Though the WNBA’s 2026 season schedule remains up in the air due to ongoing CBA negotiations, forthcoming W franchises are rolling ahead with preseason marketing campaigns.
- Two teams — the Portland Fire and the WNBA Cleveland team hitting the hardwood in 2028 — have embraced key learnings from across the league to strengthen their franchises and energize fans long before tip-off. This is the way.
Portland: The Fire released uniform designs for its debut season, as well as a new “PDX” logo playing on the city’s popular nickname and the franchise’s storied history. The jerseys will also feature patches for banking company Chime, which announced a partnership with the team on Tuesday as it pushes into the sports space.
- Portland may be taking notes from the Golden State Valkyries’ playbook on catering to the community and attracting high-profile endorsements. The city boasts a dedicated grassroots women’s sports scene, distinct opportunities with nearby Nike, hall of famer Sylvia Fowles on the coaching staff, and even a Portlandia collab. Can’t risk FOMO.
Cleveland: On Tuesday, the franchise announced its W CLE Assist Program, a unique season ticket strategy that taps into previous learnings across women’s sports. Gotham FC embraced the power of fan loyalty in its legacy ticketing programming, while W sponsor Ally noticed last year that customers were exceptionally responsive to rewards program opportunities.
- Through March 27th, only Cleveland fans who have already registered for season tickets are able to share a referral code with friends. If they make a $28 payment toward season tickets with the referral code, this counts as an “assist,” granting the fan exclusive experiences and prizes.
Zooming out: Landing a WNBA franchise is more expensive and competitive than ever, but that’s also because the ROI opportunities grow each season. The Valkyries proved that employing innovative strategies that center the local community, while engaging its fans and companies, pays off. In just one season, the Valks became the W’s most valued franchise.
- And let’s not underestimate the power of the cool factor, which had Golden State drawing celebrity crowds and commanding thousands for floor seats. In different ways, Portland, Cleveland, and even the Toronto Tempo are looking to gain points with fans — making the court the place to be will drive hype like nothing else. Fired up.
Presented By Unrivaled
🔥 Welcome to The Heat Check, our weekly spotlight on Unrivaled’s can’t-miss matchups. Four teams are taking a business trip to Philadelphia, PA, this weekend for the league’s first-ever Tour stop. Order a cheesesteak (extra whiz) as we dig into the first game on the docket:
🌬️ Breeze BC at 👻 Phantom BC — Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET — TNT
- Will Breeze’s dynamic one-two punch of Paige Bueckers and Dominique Malonga prevail, or does the well-balanced Ghost Gang — who lead the league in assists — have the edge? TBD, but one thing’s for sure: Philly is Unrivaled.
🎵 Chelsea’s Alyssa Thompson shares musical tastes via Spotify in her new EA Sports partnership
Thompson was one of four athletes chosen for the inaugural GEN/EA Sports cohort, the video game company’s first direct partnership with pro athletes. In an effort to demonstrate her influence off the field, Thompson shared her favorite pregame tracks in a curated Spotify playlist, illustrating the cultural impact star athletes have as tastemakers.
- Notably, this follows the former Angel City FC forward’s transfer to Chelsea as more and more NWSL players depart for the WSL. We’ve highlighted how global brands can continue working with athletes that make transatlantic moves, especially as Spotify looks to lock down the UK market. Turn it up.
🎿 Lindsay Vonn rewards Team USA medical team in Figs campaign for Milano Cortina 2026
In its new Winter Olympics campaign, global healthcare apparel brand Figs teamed up with the legendary skier to further publicize her comeback and the medical professionals supporting her. The campaign, which is running across NBC and its platforms, highlights how Figs is outfitting over 150 members of Team USA’s medical team.
- It also underscores the importance of finding athlete ambassadors that can genuinely endorse a product. While Vonn is one of the most famous athletes at the Games, it’s her personal story that lends power to this campaign.
📺 WNBA star Caitlin Clark is set to join NBC’s Basketball Night in America NBA pregame show as a special contributor, a major media appearance for the early-career athlete. Ready for her close-up.
📱 Overtime launched a new content collaboration with the WNBA and NBA that will feature game highlights and original programming for Gen Z and Gen Alpha fans.
🤝 Women’s sports–focused media and merch platform Togethxr announced a strategic partnership and equity investment in Sportsish, a media platform catering to casual women sports fans.
🩰 Nike partnered with Blackpink star Lisa for a ballet-inspired NikeSkims campaign. Blackpink in your area.
⚽ Zoey Deutch was cast in the lead role for Netflix’s The 99’ers, its forthcoming drama focusing on the 1999 USWNT.
👟 Chinese apparel conglomerate Anta Sports acquired a 29% stake in Puma worth $1.8B, yet has ruled out a potential takeover.
⌚ The Pro Padel League inked a landmark partnership with Frederique Constant in the Swiss luxury watchmaker’s first pro sports partnership. About time.
💼 The Women’s Sports Foundation named several women athletes to its board, including board president Swin Cash and new board trustees Diana Flores and Sloane Stephens.
📚 What to read
Mavericks of Sports from Esquire. Athletes like Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe are proving they’re still game changers—even after retirement. Culture shifters, on and off the field.
⚽️ What to check out
This piece on Lioness fans and the joy of women’s football. It's about fashion, friendship and finding your people through the beautiful game.
📊 What to chew on
These findings. Forget the old-school sports fan. A new generation is turning arenas into culture labs. This report from Ogilvy digs into how brands can keep up—and why just slapping on a logo doesn’t cut it anymore.
Today's email was brought to you by Aryanna Prasad Bhullar and Briana Ekanem. Fact checking by Bonnie Lee. Operations by Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Molly Potter, Katie Kehoe Foster, and Ellen Hyslop. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.