BUSINESS NEWS

September 19, 2024

WNBA’s Breakout Season: Record Viewership and Fan Surge Power 2024

On Thursday, the WNBA wrapped up one of its most successful seasons since it launched in 1997. Attendance is up 47% across the league, and ESPN viewership increased by 170%. The WNBA had seen steady viewership growth over the past half-decade, but financial concerns still threatened its long-term survival. ESPN announced...

September 18, 2024

WNBA awards Portland an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026

The WNBA is headed back to Portland, with Oregon's biggest city getting an expansion team that will begin play starting in 2026. The team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. They paid $125 million for the franchise. Newsday

September 12, 2024

Hello Sunshine Sets First-Look Deal With Ross Greenburg Productions for Unscripted Female Sports Content (EXCLUSIVE)

Hello Sunshine has entered into a first-look deal with Ross Greenburg Productions to develop and produce unscripted content centered on female sports, Variety has learned exclusively. Hello Sunshine, a Candle Media company, will work with RGP to add to their existing roster of unscripted female sports projects like “Surf Girls” at Amazon and “F1 Academy”...

September 5, 2024

Magic Johnson on joining ownership group of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit: “The popularity of the game is exploding here in America”

NBA Hall of Famer and businessman Magic Johnson has officially joined the ownership group of the Washington Spirit, partnering with Michele Kang, the majority owner of the team and the first woman of color to hold a controlling stake in the National Women's Soccer League. Johnson told "CBS Mornings" that he and...

September 4, 2024

Risk and reward: Sportsbooks cash in on rise of women’s sports betting, but at what cost?

The WNBA rookies rivaled each other at LSU and Iowa in a memorable championship game in the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball tournament, with a rematch the following April that drew a women’s college basketball record of 12.3 million viewers in the women’s Elite Eight. Clark and Reese’s high-profile matchups and...

September 4, 2024

Indiana Fever President Allison Barber to Step Down, Spearhead New Women’s Sports Initiative

Basketball enthusiasts and supporters of women's sports leadership might have heard about a significant development within the Indiana Fever organization. President Allison Barber, who has led the team since 2019, will step down at the end of the season. Her departure comes as she transitions to a new role with...

September 4, 2024

The Travel Yogi Appoints Darby Communications as Communications Agency of Record

Long Beach, CA – September, 2024 /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – The Travel Yogi, the first company to blend yoga and wellness with first class adventure travel, proudly announces its partnership with Darby Communications, a PR and digital marketing agency specializing in the outdoor and active lifestyle markets. Effective immediately, Darby Communications will...

September 4, 2024

Gainbridge® Announces Winners of Parity Week Grants

Zionsville, Ind. (Sept. 4, 2024)/SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Gainbridge®, Parity, and the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF®) announce the recipients of grants for “Parity Week by Gainbridge®: Investing in the Future of Women’s Sports.” This year, $150,000 in grants is being awarded to 21 deserving organizations and athletes that support girls and women through...

August 30, 2024

Lululemon cuts guidance, misses sales estimates after botched launch of ‘unflattering’ yoga pants

Lululemon lowered its guidance and posted its first revenue miss in more than two years on Thursday after it botched a highly anticipated product launch. The company now expects full-year net revenue to be between $US10.38 and $US10.48 billion ($15.4b) down from a previous range of between $US10.7 billion and...

August 24, 2024

Investor interest in women’s sports skyrocketing

A growing number of investors are upping their spend on women's sports teams as viewership and media deals grow. This growth is set to continue as the business of sports overall is increasingly attracting a widening pool of professional investors such as private equity firms, pension funds and investment firms....

August 23, 2024

Women’s Elite Rugby Adds Teams in New York, San Francisco and Twin Cities

Women’s Elite Rugby has announced New York, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Twin Cities will be joining Boston, Chicago and Denver as the first six markets in the United States to host a professional women’s rugby team when the inaugural season gets underway in March 2025. Team names...

August 19, 2024

How much do Olympic champions get paid?

Newly-crowned Olympic champions from Paris 2024 don’t just win bragging rights–national Olympic committees (NOC) or national governments from around the globe reward the achievements of their star athletes with a cash prize. With the expenses that go into being an elite athlete, these funds can go a long way in...

August 19, 2024

The North Face Taps OutsidePR as Performance Public Relations Agency of Record

Sausalito, Calif., (Aug. 19, 2024)/SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – OutsidePR, North America’s leading boutique active lifestyle and outdoor PR agency, is proud to announce its partnership with the storied outdoor equipment brand, The North Face. The alignment aims to further cement The North Face as the world’s leading outdoor brand, by highlighting...

August 13, 2024

Micky Lawler, a Longtime Tennis Executive, Turns to Basketball

As a child, Lawler, whose father was an executive with a Dutch electronics company, lived in seven countries: the Netherlands, where she was born, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, Kenya, France and Belgium. But the move that impacted Lawler the most came when she was 24 and returning to the Netherlands after...

August 12, 2024

$2M Cash Injection Sends WNBA’s Worst Team To League-Leading Valuation

The WNBA’s worst team may be, at least temporarily, its most valuable. The Dallas Wings, tied for last in the league at 6–19, are now valued at $208 million after two investors bought a 1% stake in the team at $2.08 million. That surpasses every team’s listed value from Sportico’s published...

August 12, 2024

Fortuna Investments Launches Women’s Sports Investment Platform

MIAMI and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 12, 2024 -- Fortuna Investments (“Fortuna”), a venture capital and advisory firm focused on high-growth industries, announced today the launch of a new investment platform dedicated to providing resources to support women’s professional sports, at a time of exciting and rapid expansion in the sector. The platform...

August 12, 2024

All-Star Dearica Hamby sues WNBA, Aces alleging discrimination, retaliation for being pregnant

Los Angeles Sparks All-Star Dearica Hamby sued the WNBA and her former team in federal court Monday regarding her treatment from the Las Vegas Aces while pregnant. Hamby's lawsuit alleged the Aces discriminated and retaliated against her, leading to her January 2023 trade to the Sparks. The Aces did not...

August 8, 2024

OutsidePR Expands to Australian & New Zealand Markets

Sausalito, Calif. (August 8, 2024) /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - OutsidePR (OPR), North America’s leading boutique active lifestyle and outdoor public relations agency, is proud to announce its expansion to the Australian market. With the Australian & New Zealand (ANZ) region growing in popularity and awareness for active outdoor pursuits, business, travel...

August 7, 2024

Women’s March Madness Could Finally Get $25M in ‘Units’

On Tuesday, the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors released a proposal for distributing a pot of up to $25 million in prize money in the women’s March Madness tournament, starting with the 2025 event. The proposal, which will not see a final vote until the NCAA convention in January,...

August 6, 2024

Simone Biles’ Post-Olympic Tour Could Make Millions

Simone Biles broke her own record yet again on Monday, adding an 11th career Olympic medal with a silver in floor exercise to extend her lead as the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history. Already she’s fielding questions about a potential return in 2028 for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles....

August 6, 2024

Garmin enables premium app purchases in the Connect IQ Store and unveils fun new watch faces and apps

OLATHE, Kan./August 6, 2024/SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) today announced that customers can now make purchases in the Connect IQ™ Store using Garmin Pay™. This seamless integration rewards developers for their innovative designs while also providing Garmin customers with access to premium watch faces and apps from brands like...

August 6, 2024

Parity Appoints Mandy Anderson As VP of Sales

[New York, NY, August 6, 2024] /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - Parity, the sponsorship platform dedicated to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports, today announced industry executive Mandy Anderson has joined the company as Vice President, Sales. With multiple decades experience driving revenue growth initiatives for leading media...

August 5, 2024

85% of industry leaders forecast double-digit growth in women’s sports

PwC’s report stated that the sports sector is becoming highly sought-after due to continued revenue growth (based on media rights and sponsorship deals) and more sustainable business models emerging. Sports experts surveyed were optimistic about institutional investors’ prospects, especially with growth in the sports market. Though growth isn’t universal, PwC...

August 4, 2024

Female investors join new Charlotte professional women’s soccer team’s ownership

A group of women investors called Empower HER Fund, LLC now owns 25% of Carolina Ascent, Charlotte's new professional women's soccer team. Carolina Ascent is one of eight clubs that will play in United Soccer League Super League, a new professional women's league kicking off this month. It's also the Charlotte's...

August 1, 2024

UConn Star Paige Bueckers Inks NIL Deal With Unrivaled Basketball League, per Report

UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers will sign an NIL deal with the new professional women's 3-on-3 Unrivaled basketball league, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic. The deal for Bueckers is historic, as she becomes the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league as...