BUSINESS NEWS

March 31, 2023

Women’s Sports Are Raking in Investments. The Final Four Shows Why.

With stars, story lines and skill, the TV rights for the women’s Division I basketball tournament could be worth over $80 million, part of a larger wave of investors flocking to women’s sports. NY Times

March 28, 2023

Who Is The Highest-Paid Women’s College Basketball Coach?

In October 2021, Staley, who earned a third straight trip to the Final Four, inked a seven-year, $22.4 million contract — a $1 million annual increase. The contract made her one of the top three highest-paid coaches in the sport, along with UConn’s Geno Auriemma and LSU’s Kim Mulkey, who...

March 28, 2023

Oofos Completes Funding Round Led by Pro Athletes Derek Carr, Alex Smith and Dawn Staley

Oofos has completed a new round of funding, which was led by Derek Carr of the New Orleans Saints, retired NFL quarterback Alex Smith and WNBA star turned championship-winning women’s college basketball coach Dawn Staley. The trio of sports stars all had ties to the active recovery footwear brand prior...

March 27, 2023

A new $100 million fund from a founder of Angel City FC will invest in women’s sports

A new fund being launched is seeking to capitalize on the potential of women’s sports. Kara Nortman, a former managing partner at Upfront Ventures, and Jasmine Robinson, a former partner at VC firm Causeway and ex-executive at the San Francisco 49ers, are debuting Monarch Collective. The $100 million fund will...

March 23, 2023

The IRONMAN Group Appoints Marieka Barnard as New Chief Marketing Officer

TAMPA, Fla. /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - The IRONMAN Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Marieka Barnard to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) after serving most recently as Vice President of Event Marketing for The IRONMAN Group in EMEA. Barnard has deep institutional knowledge and expertise of the endurance sports industry....

March 21, 2023

A lot of money is on the line for women’s pro soccer in the U.S.

The NWSL hired Berman in March 2022. Previously, she was deputy commissioner at the National Lacrosse League, spent 13 years with the NHL and worked as a labor lawyer at Proskauer Rose. Her biggest priorities? Restore faith in women’s soccer and grow the business. CNBC

March 17, 2023

FIFA Increases Women’s World Cup Prize to $150M

FIFA has upped the ante for its 2023 Women’s World Cup — but it still has a long way to go to achieve equal pay to the men’s game. During his closing remarks at the governing body’s annual congress in Kigali, Rwanda, FIFA president Gianni Infantino — who was reelected...

March 8, 2023

DICK’S Sporting Goods and Just Women’s Sports Team Up with 6 WNBA Stars for Second Annual Women’s College Basketball Bracket Challenge

PITTSBURGH, March 8, 2023 -- DICK'S Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) and Just Women's Sports (JWS), the leading multimedia platform exclusively dedicated to women's sports, are partnering with WNBA Champion, 2x WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist Elena Delle Donne; WNBA MVP and champion, Olympic gold medalist, and 4x NCAA champion and 4x Most Outstanding Player Breanna...

March 5, 2023

Canadian Women’s Soccer Team Reaches Equal Pay Agreement

Canada Soccer and the country’s women’s national team struck a deal on interim funding for 2022, helping to resolve an issue that had the team threatening to strike last month. Canada Soccer said that the deal reflects that of the men’s national team with regards to incentives and compensation. The...

March 1, 2023

Venus Williams Joins Topspin Consumer Partners as Newest Operating Partner

MAMARONECK, N.Y.-- Topspin Consumer Partners (“Topspin”), an operationally-driven private equity firm focused on the consumer sector, today announced the appointment of tennis champion and entrepreneur, Venus Williams, as its newest Operating Partner. In this role, Venus will work closely with Topspin and its portfolio companies to broaden marketing strategies, gain...

March 1, 2023

First Bourn Commits $100,000 to Scholarship Fund to Support U.S. Professional Female Endurance Athletes

Charlotte, North Carolina USA – March 1, 2023 /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – First Bourn, a co-operative advocacy and endurance sports venture at the intersection of purpose and profit, today announces their commitment of $100,000 towards the Futures Fund, a college sponsorship program for the endurance sports industry. The fund is a female-focused...

February 22, 2023

Soccer-MLS’ newest owner Kindle breaks new ground for women in sport

Major League Soccer’s (MLS) expansion franchise St. Louis City SC make their regular-season debut on Saturday, with the league’s first-ever female majority owner in Carolyn Kindle. The self-described soccer newcomer joins the ranks of only a handful of female majority owners across professional sports, after the franchise shelled out a...

February 22, 2023

Black Woman-Owned Sock Brand, Tough Cutie, Lands Coveted Retail Partnership with REI Co-op

Austin, Texas (February 22, 2023) /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Tough Cutie, the active lifestyle sock brand dedicated to creating a positive impact for women adventurers and entrepreneurs, today announced a major retail expansion, bringing its best-selling sock style to 35 REI Co-op stores nationwide and online. In its first six months of...

February 22, 2023

Independent Running Apparel Brands Janji and Oiselle Announce Merger

February 22, 2023 /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - Janji, a Boston-based running apparel brand on a mission to expand access to safe drinking water worldwide, and Oiselle, a Seattle-based by and for women athletic apparel company, announced that they will enter a collaborative partnership through a merger, facilitated by Digsbury Ventures. The...

February 16, 2023

Kate Johnson Aims Google At Fixing Women’s Sports Coverage Disparity

For Kate Johnson, Google’s Director of Global Sports, Media and Entertainment Marketing, finding ways to level the playing field between men’s and women’s sports has been a lifelong pursuit. Her work at Visa did much to help on the sponsorship side, specifically, part of a career arc that began back in...

February 14, 2023

Women’s sports revenues set for double-digit growth

Revenues for women's sports are expected to grow by 15% by 2026, according to a new report. The research signals a huge financial opportunity for companies looking to invest in women’s sports initiatives. The PwC Global Sports Survey, polled 507 senior sports executives from across 43 countries, and analysed the...

February 14, 2023

Jason Derulo and Danny White Launch Pro Volleyball Federation Team in Omaha

FRISCO, Texas and COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 14, 2023 -- One of the United States' most rabid volleyball hotbeds now boasts a team in North America's premier women's professional volleyball league, as Omaha businessman Danny White and performance artist Jason Derulo announced that they will launch a Pro Volleyball Federation franchise in Omaha, Nebraska during the league's inaugural 2024 season. White and Derulo announced their new...

February 12, 2023

Canada threaten to sue players for ‘millions’ as Women’s team accused of ‘unlawful’ strike

Canada Soccer has threatened legal action against the women's side in order to ensure the SheBelieves Cup opener against the USWNT happens. Players decided to go on strike after Canada Soccer's budget cuts to the women's team have sparked mass rebellion among the ranks, forcing the players to strike regarding the 'unclear'...

February 12, 2023

Super Bowl Ads Are Increasingly Aimed at Women. Here’s Why.

Armchair critics like to opine on everything about the Super Bowl—not just the game itself but the halftime show, the announcers, and of course, the ads. But attentive viewers who stay in front of the screen this year instead of going to the bathroom or getting a refill in the...

February 9, 2023

WRCC Achieves Non-Profit Status, Launches Membership

CONROE, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 9, 2023 /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - The Women's Running Coaches Collective (WRCC), a non-profit dedicated to promoting the opportunities and culture of track, field, and distance running for female coaches and athletes, is proud to announce the launch of its membership program. The WRCC is leading a...

February 7, 2023

Portland is in the running for a WNBA team

Engelbert said the league is looking to add up to two teams. Though an exact timeline was not offered, she said the teams could be added within the next few years; the announcement would come at least a year prior. If Portland is chosen to host a WNBA team, it...

February 6, 2023

Seattle Storm WNBA’s Most Valuable Team After Investment

The Seattle Storm now has the highest valuation of any team in the WNBA after selling minority stakes to 15 investors, valuing the club at $151 million, according to The Wall Street Journal — 15 times more than other teams. FOS

February 6, 2023

Serena Williams is ‘really proud’ that her star-studded Super Bowl commercial features an equal number of male and female athletes

The tennis legend is the main character of Michelob Ultra's new star-studded Super Bowl LVII commercial. The Caddyshack-inspired ad features a slew of megawatt athletes and actors convening at the fictional Bushwood Country Club for "New Members Day." Insider

February 6, 2023

Oakland Paves Way for WNBA Expansion Team

Oakland is getting closer to its own WNBA team. The city has entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the African American Sports and Entertainment Group over development of the city’s 50% stake of the Oakland Coliseum site — which could bring sports, entertainment, and housing to the area. FOS

February 3, 2023

Broad Beta launches new podcast with in-depth interviews of women, gender queer climbers and skiers

Bozeman, MT (Feb. 3, 2023) /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Through special events and written and audio media, Broad Beta — a newly launched media outlet — empowers, inspires and creates belonging for a diverse, underserved outdoor community. Conceived by Jeannie Wall and Leslie Gains-Germain while climbing the Nose on El Capitan,...