BUSINESS NEWS

May 28, 2024

Professional softball looking for ‘viable’ options to expand amid growth of women’s sports

College softball has seen “monumental growth” over the past decade, but there still “isn’t currently a viable pro option for past and current collegiate softball stars to continue building their brands or for diehard fans to follow,” according to Colton Sulley of the OKLAHOMAN. The broadening of the college game...

May 27, 2024

Could the U.S. Women’s Open Get Its Own Media-Rights Deal?

NBC Sports will air the U.S. Women’s Open. What is the broadcaster paying for the tournament’s rights? That’s complicated. The United States Golf Association owns and operates a variety of championships, like the U.S. Open, for both men and women. Traditionally, it has sold all of its media rights together...

May 23, 2024

The WNBA Is Coming to Toronto—and Vancouver and Montreal

Toronto was officially named as the home of the league’s 14th franchise Thursday. The yet-unnamed team will be the league’s first outside the United States and second in a recent wave of expansion. It will begin playing in the 2026 season under owner Larry Tanenbaum of Kilmer Sports Ventures. Tanenbaum...

May 22, 2024

WNBA Star Angel Reese Becomes Part Owner of Professional Soccer Club

Former college basketball star and WNBA rookie Angel Reese has added a new title to her impressive resume: professional sports owner. The Maryland native is now a part-owner of DC Power Football Club, Washington, D.C.’s new professional women’s soccer team, which will debut in the USL Super League this summer. The team, one of the eight founding...

May 16, 2024

Largest global study of its kind reveals women’s sports fandom is moving from “a moment” to mainstream

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 16, 2024 /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - SurveyMonkey, a global leader in online surveys and forms, and Parity, the sports marketing and sponsorship platform dedicated to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports, today announced the findings of the largest global survey ever conducted to...

May 15, 2024

Why Aren’t There More Women Running Coaches?

The number of women track and field and cross country coaches in collegiate and pro spaces is still stunningly low, especially in comparison to other sports. A 2023 report put out by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at The University of Minnesota in collaboration with WeCOACH...

May 15, 2024

The WNBA’s challenge: How to translate the Caitlin Clark hype into sustained growth for the league

The stars seemingly have aligned for the WNBA with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese joining the ranks of A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi and others. The league is getting unparalleled attention. Now the challenge for the WNBA after opening its 28th season Tuesday night is translating the hype and...

May 15, 2024

Why Aren’t There More Women Running Coaches?

A 2023 report put out by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at The University of Minnesota in collaboration with WeCOACH found that just 18.6 percent of head coaches of college-level women's track and field and 19.3 percent of head coaches in college-level women's cross country were...

May 14, 2024

Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Debut Marks the Start of a New Era for Women’s Basketball

Tuesday, May 14, 2024 will go down as the beginning of a new era in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark has arrived, and with her come logo threes, eye-popping passes, and, above all, unlimited promise for the business of women’s basketball. The WNBA has been building to this moment. The league...

May 14, 2024

Mountain Hardwear Wants You to Be Sun Wise: Launches New Sun Protection Apparel and Partnership with The Skin Cancer Foundation

Richmond, Calif. [May 14, 2024] /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - Mountain Hardwear, a leader in high-performance equipment and apparel for climbers, mountaineers, skiers, snowboarders, and outdoor athletes, today announced new additions to its sun protection line of apparel, as well as a new partnership with The Skin Cancer Foundation. Since 1979, The...

May 11, 2024

Interest in women’s sports rises, but participation gap remains

A congressional watchdog in a new report called on the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to improve its enforcement of Title IX compliance in college athletics. The U.S. Government Accountability Office in the report issued Thursday appeared critical of the OCR’s oversight in expanding opportunities for women in college...

May 10, 2024

Toronto Set to Be WNBA’s 14th Franchise, First Outside U.S.

Toronto will be the WNBA’s 14th team and first outside the United States, beginning play in May 2026, according to the CBC. Billionaire Larry Tanenbaum, the chairman of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment and a minority owner in the Maple Leafs and Raptors among other investments, was awarded the franchise, with...

May 9, 2024

Gainbridge® Announces Parity Week to Empower Girls and Women in Sports and Education

Zionsville, Ind. (May 9, 2024) /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - As part of this year’s “Parity Week by Gainbridge®: Investing in the Future of Women’s Sports,” Gainbridge® announces grants totaling $150,000 to deserving organizations that support girls and women through sports and/or education from Gainbridge®, Parity, and Women’s Sports Foundation®. Gainbridge®, a...

May 8, 2024

WNBA to begin full-time charter flights this season, commissioner says

The WNBA plans to commit $50m over the next two years to provide full-time charter flight service for its teams during the season, the league’s commissioner announced Tuesday in a move that addresses years of player safety concerns. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a meeting with sports editors that the league will...

May 8, 2024

Dallas approves plan to bring pro women’s soccer team to the Cotton Bowl

The Dallas City Council unanimously approved a plan to bring a new professional women’s soccer team to the Cotton Bowl. Sports fans really only get to enjoy the historic stadium for a few big games out of the year. But that will change when the USL Super League starts its inaugural...

May 8, 2024

Caitlin Clark boost leads to major broadcast partnership to show Fever games

TEGNA Inc. and the Indiana Fever announced an expansive broadcast partnership that will bring Fever games to an unprecedented number of households across the country. The collaboration, which includes 11 additional markets joining TEGNA’s Indianapolis NBC affiliate, WTHR, marks a milestone in the promotion of the WNBA and women's sports on broadcast television. The...

May 8, 2024

Retired WNBA legend Candace Parker named president of Adidas women’s basketball

According to Adidas, Parker will "collaborate with the brand to create a powerful platform aimed at influencing and elevating the future of women’s sports. She will drive innovative strategies and empowering initiatives to push the game further while inspiring the next generation of hoopers to dream bigger and reach higher...

May 5, 2024

How Form’s Co-Founders Use Social Media To Build a Winning Fitness Brand

Recently becoming part of the Seattle Storm ownership group, Sue Bird joined an elite set of former professional athletes turned owners across the NBA and WNBA. She is only the third retired WNBA player to move into ownership, joining Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks) and Renee Montgomery (Atlanta Dream). Bird's...

May 5, 2024

A $5,000 check won by Billie Jean King 50 years ago helped create Women’s Sports Foundation

Billie Jean King’s $5,000 check from her sportswoman of the year award was used to launch the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974. Since then, the foundation has invested more than $100 million to help girls and women gain opportunities and equity in sports. AP Sports

May 5, 2024

WNBA Doesn’t Show Preseason Game, Fan Stream Gets Huge Audience

On Friday night, the Chicago Sky faced the Minnesota Lynx in their preseason opener. The game was of major interest to followers of women’s basketball, but the WNBA’s streaming app did not air the game, despite listing that all preseason tilts would be watchable from the app. That’s when a fan, @heyheyitsalli, stepped in...

April 25, 2024

UConn legend Sue Bird joins Seattle Storm ownership group

Following a historic playing career with the Seattle Storm, four-time Seattle Storm WNBA champion Sue Bird is re-joining the franchise, this time as a member of the organization’s ownership group. The Storm announced the news Wednesday but did not disclose Bird’s stake in the franchise. While it is significant Bird is...

April 24, 2024

The GIST and Parity Forge First-of-its-Kind Partnership to Elevate Women Athletes in Branded Content

New York, NY, April 24, 2024 /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - The GIST, a revolutionary and inclusive sports media brand dedicated to leveling the playing field by providing equitable, in-depth and digestible coverage to both women’s and men’s sports, today announced the official launch of their new Athlete Roster offering, integrating athlete-talent...

April 23, 2024

The WNBA Boom Goes Beyond Caitlin Clark

On March 7, the reigning back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces announced they had sold out of season tickets, an apparent first in the WNBA. On Monday, the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream both announced they’d done the same. Clark has undoubtedly created more buzz around women’s hoops, but the league was already...

April 22, 2024

The Sports Bra announces plans to franchise with investment from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian

The Sports Bra, a now-iconic Portland destination that made history as the first women’s sports bar in the world, has announced plans to franchise and expand into other cities. Investment from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian — the husband of tennis legend Serena Williams — will fund the effort in partnership with...

April 18, 2024

Cotopaxi Hires First Combined Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Salt Lake City, UT. April 18, 2024/SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Certified B Corporation™ and impact-driven adventure lifestyle brand, Cotopaxi, welcomes Lindsay Shumlas to the team, in a first for the company combined CFO and COO role. Shumlas takes the COO reins from Cotopaxi executive Stephan Jacob who has held the COO title...