BUSINESS NEWS

January 14, 2023

Lululemon Taps Burberry Veteran Elizabeth Binder as First Chief Merchandising Officer

Lululemon is bolstering its executive leadership with a brand new hire on its product team. The Vancouver, British Columbia-based athleisure brand has tapped Elizabeth Binder to serve as its first chief merchandising officer. She starts Jan. 16, reporting to chief product officer Sun Choe. FN

January 10, 2023

Uniting to Preserve Women’s Sports: Global Launch of International Consortium on Female Sport

CONNECTICUT, US /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - The new International Consortium on Female Sport (ICFS) launched globally, debuting January 9, 2023, as the preeminent international lobby group to advocate for the preservation of the female sport category worldwide. This comes at a time when more international governing sports bodies, including the International Olympic Committee...

January 6, 2023

Angel City’s first-year success accelerates goal of $1B valuation

Angel City FC has perhaps “most pushed the bar higher and higher for NWSL teams, and many pro women’s sports teams,” as they “seem to print money compared to predecessors,” according to Steph Yang of THE ATHLETIC. They have accumulated over $40M “in sponsorships, when you factor in long-term contracts like...

January 3, 2023

Los Angeles Sparks Name Leading Industry Executive Karen Bryant Chief Administrative Officer & General Manager

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 3, 2023) – Los Angeles Sparks Owner and Managing Partner Eric Holoman announced today the appointment of Karen Bryant to the role of Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager. Bryant will oversee both business and basketball operations for the three-time WNBA champions. Bryant has served in executive leadership...

December 27, 2022

From coverage to sponsorship, 2022 was pivotal for growth of women’s sports

Popularity across women's sports has grown steadily over the past few years, but 2022 marked a pivotal moment as several sports saw increases in viewership and ratings, sponsorship deals and prime-time coverage. CBC

December 23, 2022

Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 Releases Full 2023 Team Roster

ROANOKE, Va. (December 2022) /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 professional cycling has released its full roster for the 2023 season, featuring a diverse squad of track, mountain biking, gravel, ultra, Zwift eSports, and para-cycling athletes. The list includes longtime team member, Tokyo Olympic medalist, and 2022 Omnium World...

December 22, 2022

Under Armour’s New CEO Joins the Growing Roster of Female Leaders at Sportswear Companies

Under Armour announced that Stephanie Linnartz will become president, CEO and member of its board of directors, effective Feb. 27, 2023. She replaces Patrik Frisk, who stepped down from the role in June. With this appointment, Linnartz joins the ranks of other female CEOs and executives at the top of major sportswear and...

December 22, 2022

The top ten highest-paid women in sport in 2022

A new generation of marketable female sports stars is now maturing and making millions of dollars. In fact, eight of the top-earning female athletes in 2022 earned at least $10 million, which is more than double the number from a year ago and the most females to reach that milestone since...

December 21, 2022

Under Armour Taps Marriott International Veteran Stephanie Linnartz as Its Next President and CEO

Under Armour has a new CEO. The Baltimore-based athletic giant announced today that Stephanie Linnartz will become president, CEO and member of its board of directors, effective Feb. 27, 2023. Linnartz is currently the president of Marriott International Inc., a company she has been employed by for more than 25...

December 20, 2022

Phoenix Suns sale: Mat Ishbia to purchase NBA franchise and WNBA’s Mercury for $4 billion, per reports

The NBA's Phoenix Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury are being sold to Mat Ishbia, the billionaire CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage. The purchase price will be $4 billion, and the deal is pending NBA approval. The sale effectively ends the tenure of embattled owner Robert Sarver, who announced in September that he would sell his...

December 16, 2022

Bengals’ Joe Burrow Buys into New Pro Women’s Volleyball League

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is adding his name to the growing list of believers in women’s volleyball as a founding partner of the Pro Volleyball Federation, the sport’s newest indoor professional league. The NFL star’s parents, Jimmy and Robin, are also investing in the league, which is set to debut in early 2024....

December 14, 2022

Naomi Osaka And Patrick Mahomes Join Wave Of Celebrities Investing In Pickleball

Following in the footsteps of NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant, tennis ace Naomi Osaka and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are investing in a new Major League Pickleball team in a deal expected to be announced Thursday. Celebrity investors have poured into the league over the last...

December 14, 2022

Women’s Hockey League’s Salary Cap Jumps 900%

After raising it from $300,000 to $750,000 for the 2022-23 season, the women’s hockey league announced plans on Wednesday to raise it again for the 2023-23 season — this time to $1.5 million, representing a 900% increase since 2021. The move is part of a three-year, $25 million commitment approved...

December 14, 2022

WNBA reportedly will not announce expansion plans by the end of the year, still hopes team starts by 2025

The WNBA expansion process is taking a little longer than expected. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Athletic the league would not announce a new expansion site by the end of the year. Engelbert said in September she would love to make an expansion announcement by the end of 2022....

December 11, 2022

WNBA Wants More Money in Players’ Pockets

The WNBA is working on a way to keep players working in the U.S. Since before the league began in 1997, players have been going overseas, first to play and then to complement their salaries — the WNBA minimum is $62,285. FOS

December 8, 2022

Lululemon Lifts Outlook As Q3 Comps Surge 22 Percent

Lululemon Athletica, Inc. again raised its outlook for sales and earnings for the year after reporting third-quarter results that topped guidance. Comparable sales in the quarter increased by 22 percent, or 25 percent on a constant dollar basis. Sales of $1.9 billion exceeded guidance in the range of $1.780 billion to $1.805 billion. EPS of $2.00...

December 7, 2022

Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe announce launch of A Touch More production company

Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe have launched A Touch More, a production company that focuses on the "stories of revolutionaries who move culture forward." The power couple announced the start of the venture created in partnership with TOGETHXR — the media and commerce company Bird co-founded — on Wednesday in an interview...

December 5, 2022

Metabolism tracker Lumen raises US$62 million

Metabolism measurement platform Lumen, has raised US$62 million in a series B funding round led by Pitango Venture Capital. Participating investors include Hanwha Group, Resolute Ventures, RiverPark Ventures, Unorthodox Ventures, Almeda Capital and Disruptive VC. Endurance Biz

December 2, 2022

Leading women’s sports news breakers are joining forces to create the ultimate ‘women’s sports content network’

Only a small fraction of all sports media coverage is devoted to reporting on women's games. Two of the biggest players in women's sports media are joining forces to change that metric. The Next — a premier WNBA and women's college basketball newsroom from The IX — and leading women's soccer outlet Equalizer Soccer are joining...

December 2, 2022

Women’s Sports Network Launches Free Channel on Roku to Stream Original Shows, Programming

The Women’s Sports Network has launched a free channel on Roku to stream original shows and programming from partners such as the Athletes Unlimited, the WNBA, LPGA Tour, Street League Skateboarding, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, USGA, Women’s Football Alliance, and World Surf League. The new channel for Roku TVs and...

December 1, 2022

Allyson Felix Joins First Women’s Bank to Help Close the Gender Lending Gap and Elevate Women Business Owners

CHICAGO-- First Women’s Bank announced that Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field Olympian in history, Founder and President of Saysh, and advocate for women’s equity, has joined Billie Jean King, Nia Batts and Sophia Bush as a Strategic Advisor to the Bank. Together, First Women’s Bank and Allyson...

November 30, 2022

U.S. Women’s National Team will make $5.85 million after men’s win over Iran

FIFA, international soccer's governing body, outlined the prize money teams would receive in the World Cup in Qatar and those that finished 9th through 16th will get $13 million each. According to the CBA, the prize money will be divided in two parts — 90% will be split equally between the men's and...

November 28, 2022

The Fastest-Growing Audiences On TV Are For Women’s Sports

Long an afterthought to men’s sports, women’s sports have seen huge gains in viewership in recent years, albeit from very small bases. While no women’s sports outside of Olympic gymnastics or ice skating can compete with men’s for ratings, interest in them is clearly on the rise—and could represent an...

November 22, 2022

The Athletic to double women’s sports coverage

The Athletic plans to double its coverage of professional women's sports through a multiyear partnership with Google, its chief commercial officer Seb Tomich told Axios. Beginning this week, The Athletic will start to post job openings for a new slate of journalism roles to cover women’s sports specifically, with an...

November 19, 2022

Meet Victoria Brumfield, the Trailblazing New CEO of USA Triathlon

Prior to her appointment as interim CEO Brumfield served as USA Triathlon's Chief of Staff and Chief Business Development Officer, where she built a reputation as an innovative and results-driven leader for the sport and organization. Her vision and leadership led the development and implementation of USA Triathlon's most recent...