Not gonna stop
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hey there!
We’ve shared the numbers on how women’s sports fans love buying merch for their fave teams and athletes, but what about for their fave media brands? For those wanting to sport something a little special under tomorrow’s blazer, we have limited-edition tees celebrating our 1M subscriber milestone and our continued commitment to betting on women. Not gonna stop.
Women’s softball
🥎 Striking out
The GIST: As covered in yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the pro softball space has been thrown yet another curveball. Last week, several prominent pro softball players spoke out against subpar working conditions during the 2024 Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) season, which they allege breach their signed contracts.
The context: Though men’s baseball has over 100 years of professional history and support from the majors to the minors, softball hasn’t followed the same trajectory. Billie Jean King co-launched the first U.S. pro women’s softball league in 1976, yet her International Women’s Professional Softball Association and the long-running National Pro Fastpitch all eventually folded.
- WPF was announced in 2021, when there were no active pro women’s softball leagues. Since then, the league has both expanded and lost teams, while also losing commissioner and Oklahoma softball legend Lauren Chamberlain following the 2023 season.
The scandal: Last week, Hub City Adelitas outfielder Ciara Bryan shared her experience and that of others during the 2024 WPF season, including missing paychecks and travel reimbursements. Teammate Blaise Biringer then released a statement saying many players received less than 25% of their contract compensation, along with inadequate practice facilities, provisions, and housing.
- Prominent softball players Madison Huskey, Jocelyn Alo, and Cat Osterman — all of whom have played in Athlete's Unlimited’s (AU) softball league — further amplified the message, reiterating that this is sadly normal for those seeking pro softball opportunities stateside.
The takeaway: Despite the sport’s increasing participation and collegiate popularity, pro softball is still suffering from common problems faced by developing leagues. WPF’s issues are all too familiar for women athletes in fledgling leagues, but this isn’t always the case — leagues like AU and the PWHL have seen overnight success and expansion because of how they built their businesses.
- They drew on the insight of former athletes, lined up heavy-hitting investors, and identified markets where fandom thrived — they made sure the game would be supported by faithful consumers and started small with room to grow.
- Now, the PWHL may expand and is already upgrading its venues, while AU feels the softball fandom it’s cultivated through two successful annual summer tournaments is enough to support a traditional pro league. Batter up.
Together With The GIST
🎉 Limited edition “Bet on Women” Tees are 18% off
It takes a village to level the playing field, and turns out, our village is 1 million GISTers strong — so it’s time to celebrate. In honor of reaching the 1 million subscriber mark, we launched a limited edition “Bet on Women” t-shirt collection that honors power, strength, and resilience.
- For a short time, take 18% off your order with code BETONWOMEN18 — and while you’re at it, grab a tee for your sports-loving bestie and help our supportive community grow.
- Click here to pre-order your shirts and let the world know: When you bet on women, everyone wins.
⚽ Details emerge on how NWSL discovered Angel City FC salary cap violations
The Athletic’s Steph Yang shed light yesterday on how the NWSL learned that Angel City FC (ACFC) violated salary cap restrictions, which has resulted in a $200K fine and suspension of key executives. According to Yang, a former ACFC player was in the process of signing with another club and mentioned a supplemental deal they received while at ACFC.
- ACFC had these undisclosed deals — known as “side letters” or agreements outside of the contract — with five players, causing the team to exceed the salary cap by about $50K for four weeks this season.
Genius Sports leverages sports data with first-of-its-kind marketing platform
On Monday, data giant Genius Sports announced the launch of Fanhub, a unique marketing platform designed to reach sports fans. The sports data leader will leverage its live game data to help brands optimize their ad buys and provide access to the general ad inventory commonly used in programmatic advertising. Sold.
🏛️ NCAA becomes debt-free as potential class action settlement payout looms
The NCAA will be debt-free for the first time in decades…for now. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granted preliminary approval for House v. NCAA, the billion-dollar class action antitrust lawsuit the NCAA agreed to settle in May after its restrictive policies limited student-athlete compensation for years.
- It remains to be seen if the courts will ultimately side with the athletes, but Wilken’s move is a key development in a suit that could pay out $2.78B to eligible former and current student-athletes.
👟USC sophomore JuJu Watkins signed a multiyear contract extension with Nike that will be one of the richest sneaker deals in women’s basketball. Shoe game strong.
🏆 Olympic track legend Allyson Felix announced the launch of Always Alpha, a sports management firm focused exclusively on women athletes.
🏒 Seattle Kraken assistant coach Jessica Campbell became the first woman to coach an NHL game in league history.
⛳ The LPGA postponed its Qualifying Stage Q-Series scheduled to take place next week in Venice, Florida, due to the potential impact of Hurricane Milton.
⚽ The Northern Super League revealed the name and branding for its Montréal team: the Roses de Montréal.
🏉 World Rugby confirmed it’s once again looking to raise funds to grow the game in the U.S. Ruck yeah.
📺 Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is reportedly considering a 10% stake worth $1B in UK–based sports streamer DAZN, which is quickly becoming a major women’s soccer hub.
🌹 Billie Jean King was named the Grand Marshal of the 2025 Rose Parade, which precedes college football’s iconic Rose Bowl game. She keeps making herstory.
Recs from our roster!
🎧 What to listen to
The GIST of It, of course. Hosted by besties Ellen Hyslop and Stephanie Rotz, it’s the women-produced and -hosted sports pod you’ve been waiting for. Talk about a golazo.
🚇 What to ride
The Tube. Wondering how the London Underground compares to the NFL? @_sportsball breaks it all down.
🎾 What to check out
Serena Williams on the cover of Glamour. Despite retiring from tennis, Williams hasn’t stopped winning. Discover how she continues breaking barriers in her post-tennis journey.
Today's email was brought to you by Aryanna Prasad and Briana Ekanem. Fact checking by Bonnie Lee. Editing by Dee Lab. Operations by Elisha Gunaratnam and Lisa Minutillo. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Molly Potter and Ellen Hyslop.