Former USWNT players bringing starpower and views to broadcast platforms

The GIST: Women’s soccer players have been featured in primetime more than ever this year — and no, we’re not just talking about the matches on TV. Many active and retired women’s soccer stars are going from the pitch to the mic as they’re increasingly seen as assets in the media game. Let’s dig into some of the biggest names.

Sam Mewis: In January, Mewis was named editor-in-chief (EIC) of Men In Blazers Media Network’s (MIB) vertical The Women’s Game after retiring from pro soccer. Previously, she led MIB’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage as a member of the USWNT and last week, she hosted a USWNT altcast on TruTV and Max.

• According to MIB, in the six months since Mewis was named EIC, The Women’s Game’s social channels have aggregated 100K followers and garnered about 100M impressions, while its podcast has been ranked as the top soccer podcast in the U.S. and has held a top-5 ranking since its launch.

• Mewis’ assist led to this exclusive update shared yesterday with The GIST: The Women’s Game will preview every USWNT game at Paris 2024, where she will interview USWNT players like her sister Kristie Mewis, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Midge Purce.

Ali Krieger: This season — ESPN’s first covering the NWSL — has featured Krieger as a studio analyst in all soccer programming across ABC and ESPN platforms. But two months before ESPN signed her in March, Krieger was hired by CBS as its studio analyst for soccer programming. Booked and busy.

Christen Press and Tobin Heath: The beloved NWSL couple helms one of Apple’s top soccer podcasts: The RE—CAP Show. The Ally-sponsored pod also has high YouTube engagement, with the first episode of its third season landing 77K views and counting. Similar to Mewis’ content, RE—CAP pulls from their women’s soccer connections — that episode features Abby Wambach.

• At the end of the day, media is a personality-driven industry, so it’s unsurprising that longtime USWNT fan favorites are heading up popular shows that get dedicated women’s soccer fans to tune in. A permanent fixture.