SPONSORSHIP NEWS

May 30, 2024

Historic $100,000 Sponsorship Deal Sparks WNBA Investigation, Las Vegas Aces Under the Spotlight

In a groundbreaking move, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has bestowed each player of the Las Vegas Aces with a stunning $100,000 sponsorship deal, signaling a major shift in professional sports sponsorships. This generous gesture has, however, prompted the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) to launch an...

May 30, 2024

Natural Grocers® Grant Subsidizes Women’s Entry Fees for Annual Jesse Blancarte Time Trial in Gardner, Kansas: June 16, 2024

LAKEWOOD, Colo., May 30, 2024 /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Natural Grocers Cycling (with the support of their title sponsor, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage ®) is proud to support women’s bike racing at the 2024 edition of the Jesse Blancarte Memorial 10k Time Trial on June 16, 2024, in Gardner, Kansas....

May 24, 2024

Portland Thorns welcome new slate of investors as women’s sports continue to grow in popularity

Portland’s professional women’s soccer team will add five new members to its investor group, including a former NBA player and the head of a major sportswear company, the club announced. In addition to Merchant, the new investors include Columbia Sportswear CEO and lifelong Portland-area resident, Tim Boyle. Joining them is...

May 21, 2024

Dovetail Workwear Announces New Maven Parternship With HGTV Stars Elizabeth Finkelstein & Jennifer Salvemini

PORTLAND, OREGON (May 21, 2024) /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ - Dovetail Workwear - the largest exclusively women’s workwear brand in the northern hemisphere - is committed to creating durable, comfortable and sustainable apparel, built by, for and with women. Announced today, Dovetail is thrilled to welcome renowned restoration expert Elizabeth Finkelstein and...

May 21, 2024

With Caitlin Clark’s Reported $28M Nike Deal Yet to Be Announced, She Scores a New Wilson Partnership

Not long after reports surfaced of an eight year, $28 million deal with Nike, Wilson Sporting Goods Co. announced it has entered into a multiyear partnership with WNBA star Caitlin Clark. Wilson announced Clark as part of its athlete roster on Tuesday, and stated it will release signature basketball collections “celebrating Clark’s continued legacy.” The brand also stated...

May 20, 2024

Why women’s sport sponsorship requires a different strategy to the men’s

Those in favour of selling to women’s sponsorship rights separately from the men’s could point to several recent studies to support their case. For example, Sports Innovation Lab (SIL) found that 83 per cent of brands plan to increase their media investment in women’s sports in 2024, and SponsorUnited is predicting ‘unprecedented growth’ in sponsorship...

May 17, 2024

CarMax Supports Women’s Sports with Sue Bird, A’ja Wilson, Chiney Ogwumike and Sabrina Ionescu

CarMax has a brand new campaign that launched on May 14th featuring WNBA legends Sue Bird, A’ja Wilson, Chiney Ogwumike and Sabrina Ionescu. Launching at the tipoff of the upcoming WNBA season, the campaign features an all-star, all-women roster–Sue Bird, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu and Chiney Ogwumike – connecting the...

May 9, 2024

Gatorade Adds WNBA Champion A’ja Wilson to Elite Athlete Roster

Wilson joins a prestigious lineup of basketball stars, including recent signees such as #1 WNBA draft pick Caitlin Clark and NBA standout Luka Dončić. As Gatorade continues its legacy of partnering with elite athletes, Wilson’s multiyear deal signifies a new chapter for both parties. “We’re thrilled about the addition of...

May 6, 2024

US Olympic women’s water polo team gets support from Flavor Flav

Hall of Fame rapper Flavor Flav is throwing his support behind the United States women's water polo team, pledging to back the defending champions at the Paris Olympics. USA Today

May 2, 2024

New Data Shows Star Women College Athletes Are Driving NIL Brand Deals

Women college athletes are getting more NIL dealsThe number of women among the top 100 athletes ranked by total NIL deals also increased 37% year over year in 2023 to surpass the number of men, with 52 women in the top 100. Business Insider

April 24, 2024

Million-dollar gift to fund UNLV women’s sports careers initiative

An endowment of $1.05 million will fund career development for women in sports, according to a news release from the UNLV Athletics Department. The Diana Bennett Career Development Program for Women’s Sports will provide internship programming, resume building, career professional development and a variety of networking and job experience initiatives....

April 24, 2024

Angel City FC Renews Three-Year Deal for Back of the Jersey Sponsor

Angel City Football Club (ACFC) has renewed its deal with Sprouts Farmers Market to be its back-of-the-shirt sponsor for the next three seasons. The high seven-figure deal runs through the 2027 NWSL season, a source close to the club, who was granted anonymity because the details are private, told Sportico. Sprouts Farmers Market’s logo...

April 24, 2024

Caitlin Clark to Sign Nike Deal Worth $28 Million

Caitlin Clark is soon expected to sign her first major sponsorship as a professional women’s basketball player, according to several reports. The Wall Street Journal and the Athletic said Tuesday that Clark, 22, is on track to ink a $28 million endorsement deal with Nike that will span over the next eight years....

April 18, 2024

Caitlin Clark ‘Nearing’ $10 Million-Plus Nike Deal

Days after being taken first overall by the Indiana Fever in Monday’s WNBA draft, Clark is expected to sign an “eight-figure” endorsement deal with Nike and get her own signature shoe, according to The Athletic. Clark had an NIL deal with Nike as a college player at Iowa, but it concluded at...

April 18, 2024

Superfeet Announces New Campaign Supporting Track & Field Athletes Ahead of 2024 Olympics & Paralympics

FERNDALE, Wash. (April 18, 2024)/SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Superfeet, global insole leader, today announces its support of several Team USA hopefuls in their quest to compete in Paris this summer. Leveraging a partnership with Parity a sports marketing platform dedicated to closing the gender income and opportunity gap, Superfeet will collaborate with...

April 12, 2024

Paige Bueckers’ WNBA Salary Projection Is Dwarfed by Her Endorsement Deals

Paige Bueckers‘ salary projections for her rookie WNBA season are insignificant when compared to her current endorsement deals. Prior to announcing that she would be returning to UConn on February 16, ESPN projected Bueckers as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, which is currently held by the Chicago Sky. The WNBA’s collective bargaining...

April 10, 2024

WNBA Has New Commercial Partner: Over-the-Counter Birth Control

The WNBA, which has long positioned itself as an advocate on social justice issues, announced a partnership with the first FDA-approved over-the-counter daily birth control pill. The drug, Opill, fits with the league’s stated focus on reproductive health-care advocacy during the 2024 season. The WNBA and the company are making...

April 9, 2024

The Brands Shaping the Future of Women’s Sports Sponsorship

Investment in women’s sports is growing rapidly, and for brands looking to get in on the ground floor, several companies are providing a playbook. Heading into upfront season, women’s sports are one of the hot ticket items, and the reasons are obvious: Ratings are growing exponentially—including highlights such as Caitlin Clark...

March 28, 2024

Women’s basketball’s best talk NIL truths

Although one of the hottest topics in sports, NIL also is one of the most misunderstood. Bird, Ogwumike, Boston and Bueckers get to the truths about the impact of NIL on women’s college basketball. As Bueckers says during the conversation, “I think it’s interesting how everybody thinks they know everything...

March 27, 2024

State Farm® re-signs as title sponsor for WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION, invests in programming for NWSL

State Farm has signed a new multiyear agreement to serve as title sponsor of the State Farm WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION. It was also title sponsor for the 2023 WNBA season, the first for which Scripps Sports televised weekly regular-season games on Friday nights on ION, a national...

March 26, 2024

Nothing But Net: Epsilon First to Offer NIL Deal for all Women’s D1 Basketball Tournament Participants

Epsilon, a global advertising and marketing technology company, today announced it is partnering with Opendorse, the leading athlete marketplace and NIL technology company, to launch "Work Together to Win Together," the first and only name, image and likeness (NIL) deal available to every female student-athlete participating in the Women's Division I...

March 25, 2024

2024 Could Be a Make-Or-Break Year for the Tour de France Femmes

If there’s one depressing fact I’ve learned in nearly two decades of covering women’s cycling, it’s that, sadly, there’s rarely a moment to rest on one’s laurels in this sport—and that’s particularly true for race organizers, and team owners. Just because a race does fantastically well one year in terms...

March 22, 2024

With March Madness Here, Jordan Brand Signs LSU Women’s College Basketball Star Mikaylah Williams

March Madness is underway, and Jordan Brand has signed one of the tournament’s most promising stars to a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal. The namesake brand of NBA icon Michael Jordan announced Friday that it has added LSU guard Mikaylah Williams to its star-studded athlete roster. FN

March 21, 2024

Saucony signs pro runner Vanessa Fraser

A seven-time All-American from Stanford University, Fraser, 27, has set personal bests in the 3,000m indoors (8:51); 5,000m indoors (14:48); 10,000m (31:52); and half marathon (1:11:00). Fraser, who turned pro in 2018, is currently based in San Francisco and trains with Team Boss, an elite distance running team located in...

March 20, 2024

Female athletes make up 52% of top 100 college stars with NIL deals

Female athletes made up more than half (52 per cent) of a list of college athletes with the most number of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals during the 2023/24 season – an increase from 38 per cent year-on-year, according to SponsorUnited’s NIL Marketing Partnerships 2023/24 report. The increasing popularity...