Women's Sports
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman announces retirement
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman “is retiring” after 13 years in the role, “bringing the league back to its historic place in college athletics after nearly coming close to extinction,” according to Scooby Axson of USA TODAY. Ackerman, a member of SBJ’s 2011 class of Champions, will “leave the pos...
NWSLPA says majority of players oppose calendar switch
The NWSLPA said that a “majority of players are currently opposed to a potential switch of the league’s calendar to a fall-spring season,” according to Jeff Kassouf of ESPN.com. The union in a statement said, “We remain concerned, however, that the issue is being framed around the wrong question. Th...
JM Eagle LA Championship’s purse increase another financial win for LPGA
The JM Eagle LA Championship becoming the LPGA’s “richest purse on the schedule outside of the major championships and season-ending CME Group Tour Championship” marks the “latest good news” for the tour amid a “years-long upswing,” according to Jessica Marksbury of GOLF. The LPGA continues to make ...
Media Notes
POYNTER’s Tom Jones writes on Friday, the Washington Post “posted an opening” for a position in sports with the job title “National Sports Reporter.” The job description includes in part: “This role is designed for a reporter who sees sports as a powerful lens into the forces shaping the country, in...
Chad Coleman relishes taking big swings with LPGA Tour brand as new CMO
At the Ford Championship in March, Lydia Ko was 10-under par through 15 holes with a chance to become the second player in LPGA history to shoot a 59. History was happening, but the tour did not let anyone know about it.
Four years in, Formula 1 finds progress on and off track with all-female F1 Academy series
While the ultimate goal for Formula 1’s F1 Academy is still a work in progress, the series feels like it’s making gains on and off the track and finding fresh commercial momentum a few months into its fourth campaign.
LPGA event gets $1M bump in purse
The purse for the JM Eagle LA Championship golf event has been increased by $1M to $4.25M, JM Eagle CEO Walter Wang announced. The event has the largest purse on the LPGA Tour other than the majors or the Tour championship. The winner’s share is $712,500. Sei Young Kim enters today’s final round wit...
Fever’s Aliyah Boston signs first WNBA EPIC extension
Fever C Aliyah Boston became the first player in WNBA history to “sign an extension on the EPIC (exceptional players on initial contracts) clause” that was introduced in the new CBA. It allows players who have made All-WNBA teams to “renegotiate their fourth-year contracts up to the max, as long as ...
PWHL set to eclipse 1 million fans in a season for first time
The PWHL on Friday is set to surpass 1 million fans in attendance in a single season for the first time in league history. The milestone comes in the league’s 109th game of its third season, a matchup between the Montréal Victoire and Boston Fleet. The milestone comes in 46 games fewer than the PWHL...
Tempo plan to open C$100M training facility in 2028
WNBA expansion team Toronto Tempo on Friday unveiled “plans to develop a high-performance training facility” in partnership with the city that is “scheduled to open in 2028.” The C$100M multi-use facility, which will be “fully funded by the Tempo,” is “expected to include two WNBA regulation courts ...
Wings downplay Fudd-Bueckers relationship at press conference
The Wings introduced G Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, to the local media on Thursday, but a team rep “interjected before Fudd could answer” a question about her relationship with Wings G Paige Bueckers, according to Declan Walsh of the NEW HAVEN REGISTER. Bueckers, the top draft pick i...
Report: NWSL to vote on calendar shift to match European leagues
The NWSL’s BOG is expected to “vote later this month on whether to flip the league’s calendar to a fall-to-spring season‚” according to the sources cited by ESPN.com. The NWSL season currently kicks off in March and ends in November, but a “change -- one that has been debated for years and previousl...
CAA World Congress of Sports: Women’s sports needs new narratives to continue growth
LOS ANGELES -- Angel City co-founder Julie Uhrman believes it’s time to stop talking about the “the moment” of women’s sports.
Time 100 showcases some professional athletes in 2026 list
TIME magazine on Wednesday released its annual list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2026, and a few athletes made the list, with the writeups on each athlete’s contribution to the culture. Below are some excerpts from their profiles:
Audience Analysis: WNBA Draft gets second-best figure; UFC has top viewership in 10 years
Women’s basketball continued to show its growth Monday night, as ESPN saw the second-best WNBA Draft audience on record. The event, which saw the Wings select UConn G Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick, averaged 1.5 million viewers, which is second all-time behind only Fever G Caitlin Clark’s dra...
Ally aims to maintain 50-50 gender-parity split after reaching goal early
Ally CMO Andrea Brimmer’s goal after the company reached its 50-50 goal in splitting marketing spend across men’s and women’s sport is to “stay there” while tackling the “burgeoning problem of ‘fanflation,’” according to Emma Hinchliffe of FORTUNE. Ally, which reached its goal a year early, did not ...
Engelbert’s response to question on her future draws strong reaction
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s response to a question about her future on Monday drew a lot of reaction on social media. Engelbert wondered if her gender played a role in the issue being repeatedly raised, replying to a female reporter: “I wonder whether you would ask that of a man, by the way....
SBJ Women’s Sports: Takeaways from Engelbert’s WNBA Draft address
Three keys from WNBA Cathy Engelbert's WNBA draft comments heading into the new season. Also: Ally reaches its 50-50 women's sponsorship pledge well ahead of its deadline, WNBA ticket price trends and JCPenny's driving into women's basketball.
JCPenney taking ‘Inside Lane’ in deal with women’s basketball stars
Gucci, Dior and Prada have had their time in women’s basketball tunnel walks. Now JCPenney is joining the high-fashion brands that have cast athletes as desirable models and fashion icons.
Data Drive: Get-in prices for WNBA games
The WNBA offseason has ramped up throughout the last two weeks, so we asked SBJ’s ticketing reporter Ethan Joyce to take a closer look.
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Quote of the Day
Of all the things I’m worried about, World Cup tickets selling below face value isn’t one of them.-- Eagle Point Credit Management founder & Managing Partner Thomas Majewski, on why his firm felt it was a safe bet to back Sports Illustrated Tickets' plan to purchase World Cup tickets and resell them.
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