Soccer

Denver Summit FC arranges a $40M private placement in historic first for women’s sports

On Monday, Mesirow Capital Markets — an independent, employee-owned financial services firm — arranged a $40M private placement (or private bond financing plan) for Denver Summit FC, the Denver-based NWSL expansion club set to break attendance records at its home opener this weekend.

March 26, 2026

How the Bhathal family is running Portland

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The Bhathals are changing how the women’s sports game is played, from building the first-ever dual WNBA and NWSL practice facility to creating the first local channel dedicated to women’s sports. That synergy is helping the teams become a major draw for high-profile brand deals. This week, we spoke with Bhathal Merage in a rare interview ahead of her appearance at the Power Play Sports Sponsorship Accelerator about the benefits of owning both teams, both from an ownership and sponsorship perspective. As she put it, “one plus one equals five.” The math is mathin’.

March 20, 2026

NWSL COO Sarah Jones Simmer discusses the league’s growth strategy ahead of 2026 season kick-off

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In 2025, everyone wanted in on the NWSL. Average crowds exceeded 10K for the third straight year, including a record 40K at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, while season viewership rose 22% YoY (especially among young women).

March 14, 2026

Everything you need to know about the 2026 NWSL season

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The NWSL keeps growing and will feature 16 teams this season, with expansion squads Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC joining the fun. Every club will compete in 30 regular-season matches (up from 26 in 2025), facing every team twice — once at home and once away.

March 13, 2026

TOGETHER WITH

Recapping the NWSL’s opening weekend

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NWSL opening weekend was a downright party — and not just the birthday kind. From the two expansion squads making their heart-pumping debuts to our favorite golazo of the season thus far, here are the headlines to know with Matchweek one in the books.

March 13, 2026

World No. 2 USWNT and No. 10 CanWNT headline 11th annual SheBelieves Cup

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The 11th annual SheBelieves Cup — an international four-team friendly tournament hosted by the USWNT — begins in Nashville, TN, on Sunday, featuring the world No. 2 Americans, No. 10 CanWNT, No. 20 Colombia, and No. 30 Argentina. 2025 was a year of experimentation for both the USWNT and CanWNT, but now it’s go time.

February 27, 2026

Kynisca becomes FIFA Women's Champions Cup title partner

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This week, the inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup — the sport’s first-ever intercontinental club competition for women — is fielding its final rounds in London, England. The months-long tournament hasn’t exactly received mainstream media coverage, but that may change thanks to Kynsica’s new title sponsorship.

January 27, 2026

New Deloitte report highlights lucrative WSL landscape as league attracts top talent

Sports Business

New Deloitte report highlights lucrative WSL landscape as league attracts top talent

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January 22, 2026

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #543

Unpacking the drama of the Connecticut Sun sale

March 31, 2026

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Unpacking the drama of the Connecticut Sun sale

It’s official.

The historic Houston Comets are back in the WNBA — but the news came with a heaping dose of drama. Instead of awarding Houston a 2027 expansion team, the WNBA is relocating the Connecticut Sun to Houston, where they’ll be rebranded as the Comets, an original (and very successful) W franchise. Needless to say, while some folks are thrilled to see a great WNBA team rise from the dead, others (namely fans of the Connecticut Sun) aren’t exactly pleased. On today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Steph Rotz and Lauren Tuiskula provide crucial context on the historic sale and share their thoughts on the W’s latest move.