TRAILBLAZING TUESDAY // Jan 14th 2025

In the spirit of the new year, we are trying out a new #trailblazingtuesday format. I can't promise it will stick, but let's give this newsletter a whirl!

First off, thank you to all who reached out regarding the fires in LA. The Palisades Fire was about two miles away from our house at one point, so a scary few days for the family, but nothing compared to those friends and colleagues who have lost homes, schools, churches, and loved ones in the devastation.

As I watch Naomi Osaka come back from a set down to win her second round AO match, I can't help think about the perseverance and grit of athletes, and I know the city of LA will rise from the ashes and come back even stronger #LASTRONG Check out - https://www.fanatics.com/la-strong to show your support and all proceeds go towards the relief efforts and to those affected by the fires (of course I would suggest buying the Angel City one!)

Now, to the post I wanted to write about last Tuesday....

I am introducing a new franchise called The Trailblazing Top Three. Every now and then I'll list my Trailblazing Top Three something - maybe great moments that week in women's sports, athlete stories, headlines to pay attention to, commercial partnerships to highlight, brands that have done it right in women's sports, leaders in women's sports, ect.

This week The Trailblazing Top Three of '25 will highlight the three things I am paying close attention to in women's sports from a commercial perspective in '25.

1) THE NCAA SETTLEMENT

While a federal judge still needs to approve the settlement, I have so many questions once that happens - especially at it pertains to female athletes and women's sports. Questions like, what athletes will be paid, how much will they be paid, what will happen to smaller revenue sports, will Title IX be upheld, will Universities try to "sell" stakes of college teams to private firms like the pro model?

There are more questions than answers at this point, but it's clear that women's collegiate sports continues to gain popularity and I am optimistic there is a big opportunity for brands and companies to think beyond the current model and media opportunities in collegiate women's sports and partner on a deeper level with female athletes, collegiate sports events, universities, and conferences to continue to shine a light on the next generation of female athletes.

2) THE POWER OF THE ATHLETE

If you aren't paying attention to the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) conversation between the W Players and the WNBA, you should be in '25.

We can all agree the growth of the WNBA has been significant over the course of the last five years. WNBA stars are now household names, a record media rights contract has been negotiated, and three new teams will start play in the next two seasons - and I would argue that success is all because of the W athletes and marketers know this.

While league salaries have inched up (hence the CBA opt out) brands are paying millions of dollars to these athletes because they recognize that it's the name on the back of the jersey that fans (especially Gen Z fans) care about most. With all that leverage, CBA talks in the NWSL ended favorably for the players, and I anticipate the same result for the WNBA CBA.

3) NEW LEAGUES

Keep an eye on these leagues in '25 as I suspect more brands will be sponsoring these leagues, teams, and athletes in the following:

Unrivaled: Launching this Friday, Jan 17th with 36 of the most recognizable players in the W, Unrivaled has lined up a $35M Series A round with female athlete investors including Coco Gauff, Alex Morgan, and Dawn Staley and attracted sponsors such as Ally, Sephora, Under Armour, Samsung, and Icy Hot in it's inaugural season.

PWHL: Setting an attendance record in a city where the league doesn't have a team?!? Denver hosted Sunday's game between the Minnesota Frost and the Montreal Victoire and drew 14,018?fans to the arena that hosts home games for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche - making it the highest attendance of any women’s professional hockey game ever in the United States. I would say the future is bright for this two year old league with more expansion teams to come (I am thinking Denver!)

AUSL: With former Marlin's manager Kim Ng leading the charge and softball luminaries including Jenny Finch and Jessica Mendoza as advisors, professional women's softball will make a impact this summer as six teams tour the country before settling in cities for the '26 season. With viewership for the Softball College World Series out rating the Baseball World Series, clearly the demand from fans for competitive softball is there.