BUSINESS NEWS

September 28, 2022

Billie Jean King, Kevin Durant Back Pro Volleyball League

A new professional women’s volleyball league has scored $16.75 million in a Series A funding round led by a star-studded group of investors. League One Volleyball, first founded in 2020, secured funding from Billie Jean King, Kevin Durant, Chelsea Handler, and David Blitzer, among others. With the freshly minted capital, LOVB will continue creating professional...

September 26, 2022

Portland Vies to Add WNBA Team, Keep Trail Blazers

Portland is vying for a WNBA team with the help of one of its federal representatives. Sen. Ron Wyden wrote a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, saying that a Portland WNBA team would be a “slam dunk success for the city and the league.”...

September 20, 2022

The North Face adds two women to C-suite

The North Face has added two women to its C-suite, Sophie Bambuck as chief marketing officer and Jennifer Ingraffea as chief product and merchandising officer. They join a leadership team that includes President Nicole Otto, who took charge of the brand in June 2022 following a 16-year career at Nike....

September 19, 2022

ESPN Hires Executive Susie Piotrkowski as Vice President, espnW

ESPN has hired Susie Piotrkowski as Vice President, espnW. In her new role, she will help drive the future vision for the espnW portfolio, including the new W. Studios group. Piotrkowski will lead the further development, creation and execution of espnW content, amplifying the espnW voice across ESPN platforms, working...

September 17, 2022

WNBA wants players to prioritize the league, but at what cost?

The new prioritization rule was negotiated as part of the WNBA’s collective-bargaining agreement, which expires after the 2027 season. In 2023, the rule will require all players with three or more years of experience to be in-market by the start of training camp or by May 1, whichever comes later....

September 14, 2022

Women’s Sports Foundation Continues to Close the Gender Gap in Coaching with the Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching

The Women’s Sports Foundation announced the fourth class of grant recipients for its Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching. Named for legendary Stanford University women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, the Fund will provide a total of $200,000 to 10 colleges and universities for a coaching fellowship...

September 14, 2022

Serena Williams cites Tom Brady’s ‘cool trend,’ hints that she might not be retired: ‘You never know’

When asked about a possible return to the court, Serena told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, “I mean you never know. I’ve just been saying that I think Tom Brady started a really cool trend.” Yahoo! Sports

September 11, 2022

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert addresses support for Brittney Griner, new prioritization rule, expansion

Prior to Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday between the Las Vegas Aces and Connecticut Sun, commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressed the media during her annual Finals press conference. Included in her wide range of topics is the league's prioritization rule and expansion, and the reaffirmed the league's support...

September 10, 2022

Billie Jean King-backed Trailblazer Venture Studios names startups for program to support women in sports

The Trailblazer Venture Studios — a sports venture launched by Billie Jean King Enterprises, Elysian Park Ventures, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and R/GA Ventures — has named the first nine companies to join its program to promote women in sports. The selected companies are making huge strides in terms of...

September 8, 2022

Women-Led Wednesday Returns For Fifth Year, Challenging the Mold For Conscious Consumerism

Sun Valley, ID /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - Women-Led Wednesday, the annual shopping holiday to support conscious consumerism in support of women-led brands, is proud to announce the fifth installment and renewed effort to empower and promote women-led business. This year, Wild Rye, founders of the initiative, welcomes Boise-based goodbuy on board as...

August 31, 2022

Serena Williams shares what ‘Serena 2.0’ will look like in post-match interview

Serena Williams made it known after her first-round victory at the U.S. Open Monday night that she is ready for her next act with her San Francisco-based venture capital investment fund. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was quick with her answer, showing that her mind is already very much...

August 30, 2022

A New Crop of CEOs Are Poised to Take Over Heritage Retail Brands as They Navigate An Industry in Flux

A new crop of leaders could present opportunities to increase the representation of women and people of color at the helm of a company. Out of the 14 new retail CEOs to be appointed in 2022 so far, seven (or 50%) have been women, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas....

August 29, 2022

RVWA seeks member applications to join Board of Directors

The RV Women’s Alliance (RVWA) is currently seeking members to join its Board of Directors. The Board is the governing body of the RV Women’s Alliance and the directors set the strategic direction of the organization. There are currently two Board seats available, and applications are being accepted through Sept....

August 29, 2022

Olympic champion swimmer and business exec BJ Miller joins Parity as vice president of sales

NEW YORK (August 29, 2022)/SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Retired Olympic gold medalist BJ (Bedford) Miller joins Parity as its new vice president of sales, Parity announced Monday. Miller’s hire signals continued growth and new opportunities for the company working to generate billions in revenue for elite women athletes. Miller brings more than...

August 25, 2022

Serena’s massive on-court earnings have no rival

Serena Willams has far and away the most career earnings among female athletes and is one of the very few female athletes to be solidly in the top 20 money earners among all athletes in a given year. It's very unusual in sports to see a female athlete have this sort of...

August 23, 2022

Allyson Felix May Have Had Her Last Race, But She’s Far From The Finish Line As She Approaches Her ‘Next Great Challenge’

Earlier this month, Allison Felix — the most decorated track athlete in history — graced the field for the final time. Although her decision to retire was not easy, she looks forward to championing her legacy off the field in what she calls her “next great challenge.” yahoo!

August 22, 2022

Foot Locker Will Soon Have Two New Women in Power as CEO and Board Chair: Why That Matters

Last week, Foot Locker announced that Mary Dillon would take over as CEO, replacing Dick Johnson, who previously served as CEO, president and chair of the footwear retailer. The company also announced that its lead independent director Dona Youngwould replace Johnson as the company’s non-executive chair, effective Jan. 31, 2023....

August 22, 2022

University of Arizona becomes 12th NCAA Division I School to add Varsity Women’s Triathlon

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – USA Triathlon, along with University of Arizona Athletics Director Dave Heeke, today announced the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, will become the 12th NCAA Division I program to offer women’s triathlon at the varsity level. A member of the Pac-12 Conference, the University of...

August 20, 2022

Women’s sports commanding bigger rights deals

U.S. women's sports are becoming a hot investment vehicle for networks. Soccer and basketball in particular are becoming hot-ticket rights packages. Why it matters: For decades, women's sports were largely neglected by the media. Now that they're cultivating bigger audiences, the appeal is beginning to widen. Axios

August 19, 2022

Yvonne Spencer Appointed to USA Triathlon Board of Directors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – USA Triathlon today announced that Yvonne Spencer (Arlington, Va.), a 28-year United States Air Force officer and leader of USA Triathlon Club Fast Chix, has been appointed as a General Director of the USA Triathlon Board of Directors. Her term goes until Dec. 31, 2025. Throughout...

August 18, 2022

Venus Williams’ nutrition company Happy Viking raises $2M

Happy Viking, a nutrition company founded by Venus Williams, has raised $2 million in investments from professional athletes Serena and Venus Williams, Kevin Durant, Peloton VP of Fitness Programming Robin Arzón, pro golfer Michelle Wie West, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, tennis pro Reilly Opelka, and basketball players Isaiah Hartenstein and Collin Sexton, as well as Mates, Talent Resources Ventures, Parallel,...

August 18, 2022

Merrell Launches Hiking Club, Further Connecting Women with the Outdoors

ROCKFORD, Mich. – August 18, 2022/SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Merrell®, the world’s leading outdoor footwear brand, has launched its women-centric hiking club to provide inspiration and connection to the outdoors through a digital community. “Merrell is leading the hiking revolution into the mainstream, and we recognize the needs of women hikers are quite...

August 17, 2022

WNBA posts its highest viewership on ESPN in 16 years

The 2022 WNBA season finished as the league’s most-watched regular season on ESPN in 16 years, and its most-watched season overall in 14 years. The WNBA averaged 372,000 viewers across 25 WNBA games on ESPN networks, a 19 percent increase over last season and the highest average viewership since 2008....

August 16, 2022

The NCL Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Professional Cycling League with Venture and Celebrity Investors and A 2023 Race Series

MIAMI, FL /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - Today, the NCL (National Cycling League, Inc.) announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind professional cycling league. With 60 million riders in the United States and over 2 billion worldwide, American professional cycling is positioned to become one of the most popular sports in the world...

August 15, 2022

Getty Images Calls For More Authentic Representation And Visual Parity Of Women In Sport

According to Getty Images and iStock’s latest VisualGPS research, consumers’ expectations from brands have increased when it comes to authentic representation of women in sports as they want to see this visibility gap closed. For brands and businesses who are seeking to connect with these sports fans on a deeper level,...