Roam around the world
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Welcome back!
In Powerade’s second year of its NIL deal with LSU star and rapper Flau’jae Johnson, the sports drink brand chose to amplify its messaging through a unique collab with the multifaceted baller. Last Friday, Johnson dropped an exclusive new song, “What It Takes,” made in conjunction with the brand ahead of NCAA March Madness.
- Hoping the track will become an anthem for the basketball tournament, Powerade harnessed Johnson’s prominent musical talents and teamed up with YouTube sensation Lyrical Lemonade for the song’s music video. Don’t hesitate.
NWSL
📺 Roam around the world
The GIST: On Friday, the NWSL kicked off its 2025 season by allowing more global access than ever thanks to new media rights deals. The league expanded its international reach through ESPN while also signing media rights packages to networks in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia. Through this, NWSL content will now reach more than 130 countries.
- The move not only highlights a growing global interest in women’s soccer, but also illustrates how the NWSL is trying to reach international markets first and establish itself as the premier women’s soccer league around the world.
The rights: Represented by Endeavor’s IMG, the NWSL signed a deal with ESPN to exclusively air key matches across Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the Netherlands and Sub-Saharan Africa. Disney+ Nordics will also air two weekly games, while Australia’s Optus Sports scored exclusive rights to all NWSL matches.
- Networks in the UK, Canada, Brazil, Latin America, and the United Arab Emirates will also exclusively air key matchups, while all non-exclusive matches will be available on free DTC service NWSL+. All of these channels will also offer coverage of the 2025 NWSL playoffs.
The strategy: The NWSL is looking to become a truly global league like the NBA and EPL, which boast worldwide fandom perpetuated through global media rights. With the league’s history of recruiting top international talent, the NWSL has the capability to grow fandom in different countries, like the NBA’s Nikola Jokic has done in his native Serbia.
- Market research firm TGM Research found that 49% of women respondents around the world are interested in women’s football, with Africa seeing the highest levels of interest, followed by Asia. And since 83% of these women watch soccer on traditional broadcast networks, it’s key the NWSL expands beyond NWSL+ to reach fans where they are.
Zooming out: While the NWSL may be competing with top women’s soccer leagues like the WSL for talent, it was able to gain this breadth of international market access first, giving it a head start in winning over fans worldwide. That also means the NWSL has the edge when it comes to scoring global partners, which could help it gain even more favor with fans abroad. On a world tour.
🏀 College women’s basketball tournaments see viewership dip after stars exit
While viewership was way up for the ACC title game (23%) and the Big 12 championship (126%) compared to last year, other tournaments saw a significant dip. The Big Ten drew 1.44M viewers compared to 3.02M for last year’s game between Caitlin Clark’s Iowa and Nebraska, while the SEC averaged 1.3M viewers compared to 2M for LSU–South Carolina in 2024.
- However, this year’s numbers are still much higher than 2023, with the Big Ten seeing a 93% viewership increase and the SEC seeing a 50% boost.
💄 Sponsors double down on Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic with new date
Horizon Sports & Experiences and Fox Sports, which teamed up for the inaugural event in NYC on December 7th last year, is following up its success by securing a new date for the event on December 20th — a holiday timeslot that has proven to be lucrative for sporting events.
- Shark Beauty is the latest brand to seek exposure through sponsoring a women’s basketball tournament, something Ally and Aflac have done successfully in their own season-opening tournaments with top women’s programs. A slam dunk.
🧢 USC star JuJu Watkins became the first NCAA women’s athlete to sign an exclusive multiyear deal with sports apparel brand Fanatics and Fanatics Collectibles. No cap.
💰 The aforementioned Flau’jae Johnson landed a unique brand partnership with Experian, which will help clear $5M in debt for 5K Louisiana families.
🍀 Boston’s NWSL expansion team, which is set to kick off next season, announced it will no longer be called BOS Nation FC after facing backlash for the name.
🥇 The International Olympic Committee extended its partnership with NBC parent Comcast to remain on the network through 2036 via a four-year, $3B deal.
👀 Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis confirmed that season four of the acclaimed Apple+ series will focus on Lasso coaching a women’s soccer team in England. Believe in believe.
👟 Nike was considered 2023–2024’s most valuable brand in sports sponsorships with $3B in media value, per Relo Metrics.
💸 NWSL club Bay FC is expected to generate $30M in revenue this season thanks to more lead time and staff to support the sales cycle, following up its $22M revenue in 2024.
🏖️ Liverpool FC secured a multiyear global partnership with Visit Maldives, which is now the official tourist destination partner for its women’s and men’s teams. Life’s a beach.
The GIST's Bracket Challenge
🚨 Stop what you’re doing — have you made your picks for The GIST’s women’s and men’s college basketball bracket challenges? Whether you’re flipping a coin for every matchup or overanalyzing those No. 8 vs No. 9 seed dilemmas, time’s almost up.
- The men’s bracket deadline is tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET — submit up to three brackets before the first round tips off.
- The women take the court a day later, giving you a bonus day to make your picks before Friday at 12 p.m. ET. Hoop to it.
Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
🤝 Who’s teaming up
Always Alpha x Deep Blue Sports. These women-owned agencies are joining forces to rep female athletes and secure big-time brand deals.
☕ What to drink
Billie Bean King. Pitchside coffee (a brand founded by six NWSL players) dropped a limited edition blend for Women’s History Month. A tribute to a queen, brewed to perfection.
🏀 What to check out
Hoop York City, a women’s basketball brand and collective aiming to close the gender play gap by creating more opportunities for women in NYC to hoop, connect, and build community. Buckets on buckets.
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