The GIST

⚽ Keep her runnin’ back and forth, soccer team

The ninth annual SheBelieves Cup kicks off tomorrow, with four of the world’s best women’s footy squads competing in a preview of this year’s Paris Olympics. Oui oui.

April 05, 2024

Ally expands its investment in The Soccer Tournament through new partnership

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Women’s sports heavy-hitter Ally announced its latest major partnership yesterday, becoming the official retail banking partner of The Soccer Tournament (TST). Expanding on its previous investment in TST’s inaugural tournament last year, the new sponsorship brings Ally another step closer to reaching its 50/50 Pledge by the end of 2027.

March 29, 2024

NWSL announces new intraleague competition with Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil

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After a successful inaugural W Gold Cup, the NWSL and Liga MX Femenil — Mexico’s top pro women’s soccer league — will compete in the first-ever NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup this year. Similar to Europe’s UEFA Women’s Champions League, it further proves the viability of international women’s soccer tourneys in the Western Hemisphere.

March 22, 2024

Seattle Sounders and Carlyle Group agree to purchase Seattle Reign FC for $58M

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Private equity (PE) giant Carlyle Group and MLS' Seattle Sounders agreed to purchase Seattle Reign FC for $58M, up from the NWSL club’s $49M October valuation. After the surprise sale of the San Diego Wave for $120M, this makes Reign FC the second NWSL team sold within a week, with both fetching more than their previous valuations.

March 20, 2024

A record-breaking weekend for the PWHL and NWSL

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Beyond the Madness, it was a truly incredible weekend for women’s sports, with records broken across the PWHL and NWSL.

March 18, 2024

Angel City FC reportedly exploring sale of controlling stake in club

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The NWSL is selling like hot cakes — within the last week, two of its highest-valued franchises have put up the ‘for sale’ sign. A day after the San Diego Wave announced its impending $120M sale, Sportico reported that Angel City hopes to sell a controlling stake amid ownership friction.

March 18, 2024

Everything you need to know about the 2024 NWSL season

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Beyond arming each team with splashy new kits, the league is evolving to stay competitive with Europe’s pro women’s leagues, like England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), Spain’s Liga F, and France’s Division 1 Féminine.

March 15, 2024

Sports Business

NWSL expands use of Amazon’s suite of services with extensive multiyear partnership

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March 13, 2024

Commerce behemoth Amazon is expanding its recent NWSL media rights deal through a multiyear partnership with the league that involves Amazon Prime and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Additionally, the deal makes Amazon the exclusive retail partner of the NWSL and an official licensee.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #359

NHL playoff preview & the latest on Jontay Porter

April 18, 2024

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

NHL playoff preview & the latest on Jontay Porter

Howdy!

It’s Christmas in April for co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz, with the NHL Playoff picture all but set ahead of Saturday’s postseason puck drop. Today’s episode includes a deep dive on all things playoff hockey, from why the Stanley Cup is arguably the hardest trophy to win in sports to the gals’ picks to win it all.

Then after the break, El and Steph shift gears to cover an unfortunate NBA story: Now former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter has been banned from the NBA for life after making illegal sports bets on league games and disclosing confidential health information to a bettor in order for them to profit off a parlay. And it’s just the latest instance of pro sports entangling with sports gambling.

A huge thanks to our pals at Aflac for supporting today’s pod! Just like The GIST tackles the gap in women’s sports coverage, Aflac closes the gap that health insurance leaves behind. Learn more at aflac.com.