Tunnel vision

The GIST: Since the beginning, the PWHL has been intentional in its development, from signing a CBA before the puck dropped to nabbing early broadcast and founding partners. One of those decisions — a deal with software company Greenfly — has provided insight into how athlete engagement behaviors can shape sponsorship, especially amid the growth opportunity of tunnel walks.

• We spoke with leadership from the PWHL and Greenfly this month to learn more about how capturing these pregame moments and sharing digital assets empowers athletes and brands. So many reasons to celly.

The partnership: Before its inaugural draft, the PWHL worked with Greenfly to organize its digital assets for athletes. During the season, Greenfly’s tech auto-tags players in photos, and athletes are immediately able to download their photos for social media. Nearly all PWHLers have used the platform, and the average downloads per player are 4x higher compared to similar pro leagues.

The results: Since athletes are posting to social media and cultivating engagement, brands featured in these photos are building up their sponsor media value (SVM) thanks to increased exposure and engagement. Greenfly told The GIST that PWHL athletes tend to post pictures of their pregame outfits during their tunnel walk, an experience that is being monetized across sports.

• Woody Creek Distillery sponsors the PWHL’s tunnel walk, while Sephora supports the tunnel walk for Unrivaled. While the WNBA doesn’t have one singular sponsor, its description as a “fashion runway” underscores the marketing opportunity.

Zooming out: While the NBA, NFL, and WNBA have pivoted to include tunnel walks in their storytelling, they’re still a relatively untapped market in sports sponsorship considering the high athlete engagement. While pro leagues are catching on, there’s still plenty of sponsorship opportunities at the player and team level, especially with women’s sports fans being very online.

• They’re also a way for brands to organically associate with women athletes — some of the most powerful influencers out there — and relate to fans through genuine lifestyle content. That is how a majority of Gen Z fans connect with sports, anyway. Doing it for the plot.

It’s finally here: After 13 weeks of regular-season action, one team will hoist the inaugural LOVB Finals trophy this Sunday, April 13th in Louisville, KY. With all six teams (!!!) competing in the tournament-style competition, here are the storylines you need to know:

💪 Atlanta and Houston have dominated all season — but can either front-runner spike it home when it matters most?

👀 Madison opposite hitter Annie Drews Schumacher is a certified winner — will her incredible power push her squad to the top?

🐶 Looking for an underdog? It’s Salt Lake, who sends nearly every battle down to the wire.

You’re primed and ready to cheer — now tune in to the LOVB Finals airing on ESPN2 or ESPN+, from tomorrow’s quarter-finals through Sunday’s title match. A true ace.