This Week's Women's Sports Recap
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NJ/NY Gotham FC signs new record-breaking sponsorship with Dove.
In a new partnership announced Thursday, beauty brand giant Dove will support Gotham’s community initiative to support girls in sports, Keep Her in the Game. Dove’s logo will now be prominently displayed on the Gotham kit and ranks the highest back-of-kit sponsorship in NWSL history.
Bay FC’s $500,000 partnership with Sixth Street (also owns the team) previously set the record last year.
“Dove is the ultimate leader in female strength and empowerment, and we could not be prouder to partner with the brand in a number of impactful ways,” said Ryan Dillon, Chief Business Officer at Gotham FC. “We are excited to team up with Dove to create key pathways for young female athletes to stay in sports, develop confidence and become strong future leaders. We are honored to represent their tireless work with key jersey placement. The partnership is taking effect at a crucial time when supporting girls in sports has never been more important.”
Read more on SB Nation.
Nevada high school star Ki'Lolo Westerlund headlines two-minute NFL Super Bowl commercial promoting girls flag football.
High school flag football star Ki'Lolo Westerlund of Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) headlined a two-minute NFL commercial right after the Super Bowl LIX halftime show Sunday. In the commercial, Westerlund is challenged by the jocks of the school to see who is the better player and she pulls out all the stops to leave them grasping at air en route to end zone.
Westerlund's highlight-worthy moves in the commercial aren't just a product a television magic. The senior has hauled in 111 receptions for 2,188 yards and 36 touchdowns this season for the Patriots, the No. 4 team nationally in the winter flag football rankings. She has eclipsed 100 receiving yards in 11 games while topping 200 yards in four contests. She won a state championship as a freshman and has 493 catches for 8,354 yards and 126 touchdowns in her career. The commercial finished with text saying, "Let's make girls flag football a varsity sport in all 50 states."
Read more on MaxPreps.
Pro women's lacrosse league debuts at WLL Championship Series.
The brand-new professional Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) made its official debut this week just outside of Washington, DC, where its first-ever game saw the New York Charging take down the Maryland Charm 14-13 in the WLL Championship Series.
After the inaugural Tuesday result, the action continued on Wednesday, when the California Palms opened their WLL account by getting the better of the Boston Guard in a tight 16-15 matchup.
Founded and run by the Premier Lacrosse League, the WLL fosters top-level competition as the sport gears up for its 2028 Olympic return.
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The four-team WLL Championship Series follows an Olympic-style "sixes" format. Unlike traditional lacrosse, which uses a larger pitch and 10 athletes per team, sixes employs a condensed field with six players per side.
In the Championship Series, teams are first competing in three round-robin games to determine semifinal seedings. The tournament will culminate with the knockout semifinal and final rounds on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
Read more on Just Women's Sports.
UK data illustrates growing interest in women’s sports for domestic and global competitions
Last week, UK research group Women’s Sports Trust published a report illustrating how 2024 interest in women’s sports UK audiences has grown for both domestic and international properties. In an increasingly intertwined sports landscape — especially in women’s soccer — these insights are meaningful for marketers at home and abroad. Let’s dive in.
Interest was steady even without large events. While tourneys like the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympics are proven audience-drivers, the UK saw 44.7M viewers tune into non-tentpole women’s sports events in 2024 — its most-watched year ever. When women’s events at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics are included, UK audiences consumed a whopping 564M hours.
Tennis and basketball are big for UK fans. Even though the WNBA and WTA are U.S.–based, the report shows a sizable audience forming across the pond. The tennis tour’s YouTube channel accumulated 71M views last year, while the WNBA led among women’s sports in TikTok views (361M) and Instagram engagements (90M).
Read more on The Gist.
Actress Issa Rae joins San Diego FC ownership group.
Actress and producer Issa Rae has joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer expansion club San Diego FC.
San Diego kicks off its inaugural season on Feb. 23 at the defending MLS champion LA Galaxy. The club's primary owners are billionaire Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Tribe, the first Native American tribe to have an ownership stake in a professional soccer team.
Rae joins a group of club partners including San Diego Padres’ third baseman Manny Machado and former Manchester United and Spanish national team player Juan Mata. Rae's investment was announced on Tuesday.
“Soccer is a universal language that has the power to bring people together, and I look forward to contributing to San Diego FC’s journey as we make history in MLS," she said in a statement.
Read more on Times Union.