Volemos

The GIST: In an exclusive with The GIST today, AI–powered payment brand Klarna and Angel City FC (ACFC) announced the launch of the team’s limited-edition Hispanic Heritage Month capsule collection. The “del alma de los ángeles” drop was created in collaboration with LA–based designer Hija De Tu Madre to celebrate women’s sports and the Latinx community. Del barrio, pa’l barrio.

The details: The four-item collection is available on ACFC's website on October 3rd using Klarna as payment, with 10% of the proceeds donated to the Central American Resource Center of Los Angeles. Klarna will also match donations earned from sales as the ACFC founding partner continues to move the women’s sports merch needle following its sponsorship of the Rep Her report in June.

• In the report, Klarna and the Sports Innovation Lab analyzed purchasing habits of more than 80M consumers and estimated there’s a $4B annual opportunity in women’s sports merch that isn’t currently being met.

• The results also illustrated a widespread desire to see better, more diverse women’s sports offerings, which is key when considering how Latinx fans often feel sidelined. Although 54% of Latinx fans are likely to become first-time buyers for brands sponsoring their favorite teams and leagues, only 4% of U.S. marketing is directed at Latinx consumers.

The context: Klarna first teamed up with ACFC back in 2021 as a payment partner for the franchise’s online store. This is Klarna’s third ACFC merch collab following a previous collection with LA-based Suay Sew Shop and another with Re—Inc, the lifestyle brand co-founded by ACFC forward Christen Press.

• As for this collection, ACFC marketing head Catherine Davila said LA's Latinx community is "part of our DNA," noting the club uses the term "Celebración de Culturas" rather than Hispanic Heritage Month to extend beyond autumn and has promoted many Latina-owned local businesses.

The why: Not only does the collab further Klarna’s mission to expand women’s sports merch offerings, but it also taps into the young, growing Latinx fanbase in the U.S. A 2022 survey showed 32% women’s sports viewership growth among Hispanic fans, and with Gen Z especially tuned into the women’s game, it’s even better that 72% of Latinx sports fans are Zoomers or millennials.

• ACFC has consistently catered to LA’s vibrant Latinx community by hosting friendlies with Mexican teams and centering Spanish-language merchandise and branding. “ACFC is one of the few sports teams I've seen that authentically and organically connects with its Latino community,” said Hija De Tu Madre founder and CEO Patty Delgado. Volemos.

The GIST: The WNBA season isn’t over yet, but the league’s regular-season wrap report confirms this year may have been the best one yet. On Friday, the W shared viewership, attendance, and sales data that show the league is in the perfect place for expansion. Onward and upward.

📺 This year was the most-watched WNBA regular season in ESPN history. Across ESPN platforms, an average of 1.19M viewers tuned in, a 170% YoY jump. Plus, a record 54M unique viewers tuned in across all networks, something newer sports channels like Ion benefitted from as it drew 23.37M viewers across the season. Get ready, NBC.

🏟️ Historic league, team, and game attendance records were set in 2024. Last month’s Indiana Fever–Washington Mystics matchup had a single-game record of 20.7K fans, while the Fever set the single-season home attendance record at 340.7K. Overall, the WNBA saw its best total attendance in 22 years with 2.35M fans catching regular-season games across the league, up 48% YoY.

📱 The WNBA broke all-time records for digital consumption and merchandise sales. It saw almost 2B views across its social media platforms, while merch sales on WNBA.com and its flagship NYC store were up a combined 601% YoY.

🤝 A historic season meant historic partnerships. This year, every brand wanted to activate around the WNBA, including dating app Bumble and charter provider Delta Airlines. Apparel brand New Balance also braved a market populated by Nike, Adidas, and Puma by inking its own WNBA partnership this July after signing LA Sparks rookie Cameron Brink.

• Sponsorships exploded at a team level as well, especially among top-tier franchises like the Aces and Liberty. Ally secured its first WNBA partnership in March with Las Vegas, while the Liberty leaned into its NYC location by doubling down with Bumble and cult designer brand Off-White. Believe the hype.

Time is running out to claim your seat at the Sports Management Conference, hosted by the Columbia University Sports Management Master’s Program.

• The fifth edition of this wildly popular, inspiring event goes down next Thursday, October 10th, on Columbia’s campus in NYC. On the docket? Discussions on the industry’s cutting edge topics, networking opportunities, and a whole lotta learning.

• If you want to be a part of the conversation about what’s next in sports biz, register ASAP. There’s no substitute for being in the room where it happens.