The GIST

Everything you need to know about the 2025 NFL Draft

Hope you like bear hugs because the 2025 NFL Draft starts tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET from Green Bay, Wisconsin. That’s right, the pick is (almost) in.

April 23, 2025

Designer brands Coach and Miu Miu seek women athletes to promote new collections

The overlap between luxury fashion and women’s sports continued this week with two designer-driven deals that recruited popular women athletes. On Wednesday, Coach revealed its athlete roster for its latest sneaker campaign, while New Balance (NB) furthered its Miu Miu collab the same day by debuting a Coco Gauff collection.

April 25, 2025

Pro Padel League CEO Mike Dorfman discusses the sport’s marketing allure

Last month, Pro Padel League (PPL) — the top U.S. professional padel league — raised a $10M seed round led by Left Lane Capital, a VC firm backing other startup leagues like LOVB and Shaun White’s Snow League. This week, we spoke with PPL CEO Mike Dorfman about why investors and sponsors are seizing the padel opportunity in the U.S.

April 25, 2025

Vancouver awarded first-ever PWHL expansion team as this season’s playoff race heats up

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It’s happening. Well, two things are happening: The PWHL is expanding, officially naming Vancouver as its seventh franchise on Wednesday, and this season’s on-ice action returns from the international break tomorrow. A women’s hockey double whammy? Yes, please.

April 25, 2025

Relo Metrics adds NWSL sponsorship insights to its data suite

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Yesterday, AI–powered sports marketing data insights platform Relo Metrics officially added NWSL data to its Relo Census product, which the company touts as a must-have tool for marketers. By adding the soccer league’s data, brands can now see the ROI of NWSL sponsorships in real time, which will likely encourage even more investment in the league.

April 23, 2025

Everything you need to know about the 2024–25 NHL Playoffs

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After grinding through 82 regular-season games, it’s time to wipe the slate clean. Sixteen NHL playoff teams are contending for the Stanley Cup, the hardest trophy to win in sports.

April 19, 2025

Aflac plays on brand success in closing the gender wage gap in women’s sports

Yesterday, insurance company Aflac detailed the expansion of its existing WNBPA partnership, which includes increasing the prize pool at WNBA All-Star competitions this summer. Aflac’s creative — and visible — campaign illustrates the continued opportunity for brands to benefit from making big plays to close the gender pay gap.

April 18, 2025

Sports Business

Gainbridge announces USL Super League title partnership as U.S. women’s soccer pyramid expands

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April 23, 2025

Digital insurance company Gainbridge made a major play by teaming up with the United Soccer League (USL) yesterday. The USL’s Super League is now called the Gainbridge Super League, the first-ever title partnership for a U.S. pro soccer league. The partnership illustrates how brands are starting to recognize opportunities at all levels of the flourishing U.S. soccer pyramid.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #454

It’s PWHL expansion time

April 24, 2025

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

It’s happening!

The PWHL is officially growing. Yesterday, the upstart pro women’s hockey league announced it’s expanding to Vancouver for the 2025-26 season, delighting local fans who turned out in massive numbers during the PWHL Takeover Tour’s stop in the city.

On this episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Steph Rotz and Lauren Tuiskula dig into why Vancouver was chosen as the league’s first expansion team and what that means for the future of the PWHL. Let’s do that hockey.

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