This Week's Women's Sports Recap
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Spanx partners with League One Volleyball to support young volleyball players.
Shapewear and lifestyle brand Spanx has partnered with League One Volleyball (LOVB), a leading youth volleyball brand, launching its professional league in the United States later this year in support of young volleyball players.
This is the first time Spanx has partnered with a professional sports brand and league. The partnership sees Spanx providing apparel for LOVB pro athletes for pre-season events and public appearances from this summer onwards.
"As we set out to change the game for the girls and women who play volleyball, we're proud to partner with a brand like SPANX that has long championed women to live their lives confidently," said Katlyn Gao, CEO and founder of LOVB, in a statement. "We share a collective mission to invest in, elevate, and empower women, and we look forward to working together to provide our athletes with the support and visibility they deserve."
Morgan Stanley further invests in women’s tennis with Serena Williams docuseries.
Williams announced the doc last year, solidifying In The Arena as a (gender-inclusive) franchise expansion. Unlike Brady’s series, which was filmed during his NFL tenure, this second edition instead offers a career retrospective — complete with commentary from both Williams herself and those closest to her.
Presenting sponsor Morgan Stanley worked with Disney Advertising to develop a cross-channel sponsorship that includes in-show branding on streaming and linear, voiceover promotions in ESPN studio shows, and plenty of exposure across other ESPN platforms.
Jessica Campbell becomes 1st woman to coach in National Hockey League (NHL), named Kraken assistant.
Campbell made history, becoming the first woman to be named an NHL coach when she was hired as a Seattle Kraken assistant.
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“I'm humbled, obviously, to be in this position,” Campbell said. "You speak to the word first, to be the first. But that's never really where my focus is, it's always on the work, it's on the impact, it's on the job. There's a lot to this game and to this job, and so, I've never taken it for granted.
“Though I am honored to be the first, I don't want to be the only, and I honestly don't feel like I'm the only in this organization. That's also a very special feeling to be part of the Seattle Kraken organization and the staff and to stand by all the other remarkable women in this this League that are maybe not behind the benches. But there's a long list of incredible women that are doing phenomenal jobs, here in management, scouting, player development. I'm just excited to do my part now behind the bench.”
Campbell, 32, joined the Kraken organization two seasons ago as an assistant in Coachella Valley, Seattle’s affiliate in the American Hockey League. She was the first woman to coach in AHL history.
Allyson Felix introduces nursery for athlete moms at Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field athlete in history, understands the challenges athlete moms face. The retired sprinter and mother of two is advocating for Olympic moms, leveraging her experience to provide them with better support during the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Felix, who holds a record 20 World Championship medals and 11 Olympic medals, including seven golds, has teamed up with Pampers to create the first-ever Pampers Nursery in the Athletes Village at the Paris Olympics. This nursery will offer a space for Olympic moms to bond with, nurse and play with their babies, helping to alleviate some of the pressures of competition.
Disney CEO Bob Iger and USC Dean Willow Bay to purchase Angel City FC at a record-high valuation.
After putting its controlling stake up for sale in March, Angel City FC is seeing even more big-name buy-in. As mentioned on Wednesday, longtime Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife, USC journalism school dean Willow Bay, are reportedly purchasing that controlling stake in the NWSL club, which now has a reported valuation between $250M and $300M.
According to early reports from Puck and Semafor, Iger and Bay would be investing at least $50M, a figure that would replace Alexis Ohanian as the team’s controlling shareholder. Of note, Ohanian wasn’t open to selling his equity when the sale was first announced in March. It’s unclear if either Bay or Iger would replace Ohanian as ACFC’s representative on the NWSL board of governors.