The GIST

WNBA announces three new expansion teams as league favors experienced ownership

The WNBA tipped off Monday with major news: The league is awarding three new expansion franchises to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Each of the winning bids agreed to pay a record $250M expansion fee — higher than the valuations of half the W — with additional investments committed to team and facility development.

July 02, 2025

SponsorPulse shares data insights on Wimbledon fandom in U.S. as sponsorship opportunities loom

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With Wimbledon coming up, SponsorPulse followed up 2024 data insights on Wimbledon fandom in the U.S., illustrating the fan profile and opportunity for brands to engage as the British Grand Slam faces growth challenges.

June 30, 2025

3XBA collabs with Rough & Tumble as sports leagues explore women’s sports bar partnerships

Last week, 3XBA — a professional touring FIBA 3x3 women’s basketball league — announced a unique partnership with Seattle’s Rough & Tumble Pub, the second-ever women’s sports bar. Through their new agreement, the two entities will promote one another through activations at live events.

June 30, 2025

Sportico releases WNBA valuations as Golden State tops the list at $500M

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Yesterday, Sportico published its estimated WNBA valuations, illustrating YoY valuation gains for teams across the board. One significant surprise? The financial power of the Golden State Valkyries, which tipped off its inaugural season last month and already leads the league in valuation, just ahead of the NY Liberty and Indiana Fever.

June 25, 2025

Sundial Media and Technology Group inks unique partnership with Grand Slam Track

Sundial Media and Technology Group (SMTG) — the media and live events company behind Essence, Afropunk, and Refinery29 — finalized a unique partnership with Grand Slam Track (GST), a new track and field competition that kicked off this year. SMTG will facilitate media coverage of GST in addition to improving track day experiences for fans.

June 23, 2025

Tubi secures rights to new Naomi Osaka project as streamers develop more women’s sports content

As interest in women’s sports grows, so does the enthusiasm for content surrounding the women’s game. After seeing Netflix benefit from cult faves Drive to Survive and Full Swing, documentaries that converted new fans to F1 and golf, fellow streamers are considering how to leverage storytelling to win over young, more casual sports fans.

June 18, 2025

Ion bags WNBA on Friday nights as network touts benefits of appointment viewing

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On Friday, Scripps-owned network Ion Television renewed its media rights agreement with the WNBA nearly a year after the league inked a joint multinetwork package alongside the NBA. Despite the WNBA’s attainment of expensive, major network deals, there’s still considerable value in what Ion uniquely brings to the table: A distinct audience and capacity for appointment viewing.

June 16, 2025

Sports Business

Investing in women athletes could be a game-changer for brands

June 13, 2025

Unlike the limit, the perfect women’s sports brand marketing strategy does exist — at least according to Parity, who released its latest research report yesterday about the business of women’s sports.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #472

Business is booming: The WNBA’s record-setting expansion

July 01, 2025

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Business is booming: The WNBA’s record-setting expansion

Keep going, keep growing.

The WNBA announced their long-term expansion plans on Monday, revealing that the league is aiming to reach a whopping 18 teams in the next five years. Today’s episode of The GIST of It takes a closer look at why the WNBA chose Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia as their newest markets, with co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz breaking down the deets, including the record-setting expansion fee each squad will pay to join women’s basketball’s hottest club.

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