- In some breaking news this morning from my colleague Irving Mejia-Hialrio, Alex Morgan is the latest retired athlete to take a stake in a women’s sports franchise, becoming a minority investor in the NWSL’s San Diego Wave.
- The Sports Business Awards are a little over week away, and SBJ has writeups this week on all of the nominees in each category, including Gainbridge x Caitlin Clark at The Annika LPGA (Brand Activation), Willow Bay and Bob Iger acquiring Angel City (Deal of the Year), CPKC Stadium and Unrivaled (Breakthrough), the Fever (Team of the Year) and the NWSL and WNBA (League of the Year).
- The Seattle Storm secured a naming-rights deal for their training facility with credit union BECU, the first independent WNBA franchise to land a training site sponsorship, reports SBJ’s Tom Friend.
- The NWSL’s addition of a formula brand to its growing roster of sponsors is a quintessential example of women‘s sports properties tapping into unique product categories amid their rise in popularity, writes SBJ’s Alex Silverman.
- Liberty co-owner Clara Wu Tsai told Bloomberg that the team will be the “first women’s sports team” valued at $1 billion -- and they’ll achieve it “by the mid-2030s.”
- Portland’s expansion WNBA franchise hired CAA Search to identify and recruit candidates for the GM position, Friend notes.
- SBJ Daily had a roundup of reaction to Sue Bird’s hiring as the first managing director of the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Team.
- Wednesday’s SBJ Live, the first in a series on the Business of Women’s Sports, is focused on the start to the 2025 WNBA season. Sign up here to listen in to the session.
- Mejia-Hilario also profiles Jenna McLaughlin and her rise to lead Priority Sports’ Women’s Division.
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