BUSINESS NEWS

July 21, 2026

A bar of their own: Why women’s sports bars are popping up everywhere

Women’s sports bars are rapidly growing because women’s sports fandom is surging, but fans still lack welcoming places to watch games together. It highlights a few key numbers: women’s sports viewership hit 46 billion minutes in 2025, women’s sports revenue is expected to top $3 billion in 2026, and the...

July 20, 2026

Why WNBA Union Won’t Monetize Viral Sophie Cunningham Incident 

The WNBPA is blocking licensees from using Sophie Cunningham’s viral pointing meme, calling the gesture “derogatory” and saying it won’t monetize player conduct from on-court confrontations. However, Cunningham can still personally cash in on the moment through her own name, image, and likeness deals, including with brands that are union...

July 17, 2026

‘Everybody Watches’: TIME100 Sports Honorees on Red Carpet Celebrate Rise of Women’s Sports

Multiple guests walking the red carpet at the inaugural TIME100 Sports Gala in New York City on July 16 applauded the rise of women’s sports. “Everybody watches women’s sports!” said Eileen Gu, the 2026 TIME100 Sports honoree who has won six Olympic medals. Gu said she was “honored” to be...

July 16, 2026

Why Women’s Sports are a Billion-Dollar Business Opportunity

Olympic track gold medalist Dawn Harper-Nelson and ATHLOS founder Alexis Ohanian discuss the rapidly rising popularity of female athletes, the massive social media audiences they are commanding and how investors are recognizing them as high-yield business assets. Photo: Karen Obrist for WSJ.

July 14, 2026

Cleveland WNBA Announces KeyBank As First Founding Partner

The Cleveland WNBA has named KeyBank its first Founding Partner in a multiyear deal. The partnership makes KeyBank the team’s official and exclusive retail banking partner and presenting partner of the team’s membership platform, with fan benefits tied to the franchise’s launch and 2028 debut season. 3blmedia

July 14, 2026

Ion secures media rights deal for Women’s Volleyball World Cup

Ion (the Scripps-owned network) has acquired U.S. broadcast rights to the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup and will carry the tournament on its linear network, expanding its women’s sports portfolio. Ion’s deal follows the network’s recent push into women’s sports broadcasting (including continuing WNBA coverage) as Scripps grows sports...

July 8, 2026

ESPYS 2026: Stats behind Best Athlete – Women’s Sports nominees

Dominant in their respective sports, this year's nominees for Best Athlete - Women's Sports rewrote record books. In honor of the upcoming ESPYS, we break down the eye-catching stats behind their accomplishments. After capping off the 2025 season with a national title and Finals MVP, the Las Vegas center became...

July 8, 2026

Women’s Sports Bar ‘The Sports Bra’ Will Open Las Vegas Location in 2027

A women's sports bar chain best known for its Portland, Oregon, flagship is staking out new ground in Las Vegas, with plans to open a franchise location in 2027 at one of the city's busiest intersections. The Sports Bra will build out a space at 4080 Paradise Road, positioning the...

July 7, 2026

Gotham FC is leaving New Jersey for Queens

Gotham FC will relocate from Harrison, New Jersey, to Etihad Park in Flushing, Queens, beginning with the 2028 season, becoming a co-tenant with MLS’s New York City FC at the city’s first soccer-specific stadium. The 25,000‑seat Etihad Park — opening spring 2027 next to Citi Field — includes dedicated spaces...

July 7, 2026

Liv Cycling Returns as Official Bike Sponsor of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for a Fifth Consecutive Year

NEWBURY PARK, Calif. — [July 7, 2026] /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - Liv Cycling, the only comprehensive cycling brand in the world dedicated exclusively to women, today announced its return as official bike sponsor and White Jersey partner of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for the fifth consecutive year. The...

July 5, 2026

Annual Women in College Coaching Report Card Sees First Decline in Women Head Coaches in 13 Years

The Tucker Center’s 14th annual Women in College Coaching Report Card found that the percentage of women head coaches of NCAA Division I women’s teams in seven major conferences fell for the first time in 13 years, dropping 0.2 percentage points to 47.5%. White coaches still hold the large majority...

July 5, 2026

Independent Women launches National Women’s Sports Week to defend female athletics

Independent Women has launched its annual National Women’s Sports Week, a nationwide campaign promoting women’s athletic achievements while advocating for preserving female-only athletic competitions as colleges and states continue debating transgender participation in women’s sports. Held in June, the initiative commemorated the passage of Title IX in 1972, the federal civil rights law that...

July 3, 2026

More than half of WNBA players miss All-Star starter vote, AP source says

More than half of the WNBA ‘s 180 players didn’t submit their ballots for All-Star starters ahead of this month’s game in Chicago, a person familiar with the balloting told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the voting. It’s unclear...

June 29, 2026

Unrivaled Lands Two International Stars Amid Project B Battle

Unrivaled has secured two top international players. French guard Marine Johannès has signed a multiyear deal to join Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league announced Monday. The announcement comes just days after Unrivaled announced it had signed Canadian forward Bridget Carleton for the 2027 season. Earlier this month, Unrivaled also...

June 24, 2026

RCX Sports Foundation and NFL Announce 2026 International Flag Football Scholarship Recipients

June 24, 2026 [ATLANTA, GA] /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - The RCX Sports Foundation, with the support of the National Football League (NFL), today announced Laura Hernández Sánchez of Spain and Ella Sowden of Canada as recipients of the 2026 Women’s Flag Football International Scholarship. The scholarship program, launched in 2024, provides...

June 24, 2026

Alo Yoga primed for public offering or sale after owner’s sale of wholesale T-shirt business

Alo and its founders have not talked about the brand's future, but equities analysts and retail M&A advisers argue the deal primes Alo for a future public offering or sale as industry pioneer Lululemon struggles and ⁠new competitors circle. The sale of Bella+Canvas, which has not closed yet, would give founders Danny...

June 23, 2026

Unrivaled and Project B Are in an Arms Race for WNBA Talent

Two new winter women’s basketball leagues are competing for the same WNBA talent, and their overlapping schedules mean most players likely can’t do both. One league is leaning on a Miami-centered, lower-travel model with established stars and multiyear commitments, while the other is pitching a higher-paying, global tour format with...

June 22, 2026

Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Sports Ventures invests in Professional Women’s Hockey League

The Professional Women’s Hockey League has taken its first outside investments, selling strategic partnerships to Kilmer Sports Ventures (led by Larry Tanenbaum) and the Ilitch Companies as the league moves from sole founder financing toward outside capital. The investments come after the league expanded from eight to 12 teams for...

June 18, 2026

Bronco Women’s Sports Programs Gifted $30K from Maddyn Homes Matching Gift Initiative

Boise State Athletics announced that the EmpowHER Play initiative, launched by locally-owned Maddyn Homes last summer, raised more than $30,000 to support female student-athletes during the 2025-26 academic year. The funding specifically benefits Bronco women's sports programs at the university, providing resources for female athletes across multiple disciplines. Every donation...

June 18, 2026

Ultrahuman Adds Glucose Tracking Through Abbott Partnership

Ultrahuman, a smart ring maker focused on metabolic health, has launched M2 Live, a new glucose-tracking product that integrates Abbott’s over-the-counter Lingo continuous glucose monitor (CGM). This makes Ultrahuman one of the first platforms to partner with Lingo, which is designed for adults not on insulin who want to understand their...

June 18, 2026

Venture Firm Headed by Alexis Ohanian Acquires College Card Maker ONIT

Seven Seven Six, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, has acquired college sports trading card company ONIT, the companies announced Thursday. Founded in 2022, ONIT has carved out a niche in the trading card industry by producing officially licensed collegiate trading cards featuring current student-athletes. The company works...

June 15, 2026

The Sports Bra eyes national expansion amid financial challenges

The Sports Bra, a Portland-based sports bar that exclusively broadcasts women’s sports, is pursuing national franchise expansion while facing serious financial distress. In May 2026, the company announced it is “seeking everyday investors to take it to the next level: a national franchise expansion,” but securities filings reveal it is...

June 15, 2026

The Sports Bra eyes national expansion amid financial challenges

The Sports Bra, the Portland-based sports bar that shows women’s sports, announced in May that it is “seeking everyday investors to take it to the next level: a national franchise expansion,” according to Jonathan Bach of the Portland OREGONIAN. However, securities filings show that the company is “bleeding red ink...

June 9, 2026

Women’s sport brought £55m boost to London in 2025, report finds

Women's sports events held in London in 2025 generated over £54.7 million for the city's economy, according to a City Hall report. The Women's Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham was the biggest contributor, producing an economic impact of £48.5 million. That match saw England defeat Canada 33-13 with 81,885...

June 9, 2026

Sue Bird Is Entering a New Era—and Doing It Her Way

Sue Bird receives a different kind of greeting everywhere she goes. In Seattle, where the WNBA great has lived since she was drafted by the Storm in 2002, it’s like saying hello to a neighbor: “ ’Sup, Sue?” A permanent statue of the four-time champion welcomes fans to Climate Pledge...