Sports

50 years after Title IX, women's soccer is surging thanks to brand deals boosting visibility

Published

4 months ago

August 13, 2025

With two World Cup wins, an Olympic bronze medal, and experience in multiple pro leagues around the world, Christen Press is one of the most prolific soccer players of the time. But fans would be hard-pressed to find digital evidence of her early career highlights from when she competed in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), the precursor to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) that folded in 2012.

“If you go back and try to find highlights from my first years as a pro, you can’t,” Press told Marketing Brew. “You can find US Women’s National Team (USWNT) highlights always, but that’s what you’ll find. It was like that was my only job.”

Now, highlights of Press—or, really, any other pro women’s soccer player—are abundantly available, just one indication of just how much the landscape of women’s sports has shifted in the last few decades. More than 50 years after the passage of Title IX made it possible for more girls to succeed in sports in grade school, the talent pool of women athletes is deeper than ever, media outlets are showing women’s sporting events in prime time to record-breaking audiences, and major brands are funneling sponsorship dollars into the ecosystem.

Sport to sport, it’s not exactly clear what should be credited with kicking off the boom. But does it matter? Thirteen years after the founding of the NWSL, women’s professional soccer seems here to stay in more ways than one, with two of the biggest revenue drivers in sports—media rights and sponsorships—abundant enough to prop up two pro properties.

Ready for prime time

One of the biggest changes in the women’s soccer ecosystem in recent years has been media coverage of the sport. In the days of the WPS, and even more recently, fans often struggled to find games on TV aside from international tournaments like the World Cup and the Olympics every couple of years.

“When I started playing in the WPS and my first days of the NWSL, I was playing in front of a couple hundred people on bleachers in high schools and colleges,” Press remembered.

It wasn’t until 2022 when CBS Sports aired the NWSL Championship in prime time for the first time, but when it did, the game became the most-watched NWSL match in history, with 915,000 viewers, a 71% increase from 2021, per CBS. (The 2024 Championship beat that record, averaging 967,900 viewers, according to the NWSL.)

The deal for prime-time coverage in part came about thanks to Ally Financial, a years-long sponsor of the NWSL and many other women’s sports properties, which played a key role in conversations with the league and the network.

“You’ve got this vicious cycle that’s never going to be broken unless the brands jump in and kind of force systemic change,” Ally CMO Andrea Brimmer told Marketing Brew at the time. “It takes the brands sitting at the table to demonstrate that they’re willing to come in, that they’ve got the money to invest, but that they need the networks to think differently about the way that they’re selling media and the way that they are giving women’s sports timeslots and the platforms that they deserve.”

The NWSL’s current four-year media rights deal, signed in 2023, indicates a much different approach from networks and streamers, spanning coverage across CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports; it’s reportedly worth $240 million. As of the mid-point of the current NWSL season, livestreams of matches were up 34% year over year, with 1.2 billion minutes viewed, according to the league. Women’s soccer fans can also watch pros play on Peacock, which holds the media rights to the Gainbridge Super League, a new pro women’s soccer league that kicks off its second season on August 23.

New media

While major media outlets play a big role in whether women’s soccer is widely available to audiences, the ecosystem has also been thriving thanks to athletes taking matters into their own hands, leveraging channels like social media and podcasts to increase visibility of the sport.

“Social media completely changed the landscape for women’s sports in a really powerful way, because before, you had all these legacy media channels that really acted as middlemen,” said Tobin Heath, an NWSL and USWNT icon who announced her retirement in July. “Once a year you’d get this terrible window, never prime time, and always it was through a lens of what the patriarchy wanted to see in women’s sports, which was obviously extremely narrow and really didn’t represent our sport’s culture at all.”

That frustration led Heath and Press, who are married, to found Re—Inc, a sports media company that publishes newsletters and podcasts meant to represent “gal culture,” which Heath described as an answer to “bro culture.” Their podcast, The Re—Cap Show, joined the Audacy network for distribution and global ad sales in July, part of a larger wave of growing interest in women’s sports podcasts.

Heath and Press aren’t the only soccer icons who have carved out their own media channels. Former USWNT co-captain Alex Morgan has Togethxr, the media and commerce company she started with Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, Olympic swimmer Simone Manuel, and basketball legend Sue Bird. Bird also founded production company A Touch More alongside her partner, Megan Rapinoe, another retired USWNT co-captain.

Through these platforms, the players can bypass legacy media companies and engage directly with fans on their own terms, which wasn’t always an option for athletes. Brandi Chastain, whose penalty kick delivered the USWNT the World Cup in 1999 and who went on to work with brands including Nike, Gatorade, and Bud Light, said she sometimes thinks about what her sponsorship roster could have looked like had she been playing in 2025.

“In terms of brands and branding, gosh, I think there’s a part of me that wishes that there were all these resources that existed,” she said.

Brand ball

As the audience for women’s soccer has grown, so too has its list of sponsors. This year, the NWSL kicked off its 13th season with 13 sponsors, including first-time brands E.l.f. Beauty and Alex Cooper’s Unwell Hydration. E.l.f.’s involvement represents a broader trend of beauty brands, which haven’t historically invested much in sports, leaning into sports sponsorship opportunities across leagues, including the NFL and WNBA. In August, E.l.f. further upped its investment in women’s soccer by signing NWSL players Melanie Barcenas, Abby Dahlkemper, Lo’eau LaBonta, and Jaedyn Shaw to its talent roster.

For brands, women’s sports are particularly compelling because the audience tends to encompass different consumers than men’s sports audiences, Super League President Amanda Vandervort told Marketing Brew. In pro basketball, for example, only 5% of Golden State Valkyries season-ticket holders also have Warriors season tickets, despite the teams sharing both an arena and a sport, a standout stat for founding partner JPMorganChase.

“There’s so many communities who haven’t had access to women’s pro soccer, and when you add that to the growing interest, the demographics and behaviors of our fans, and the opportunity for brands and sponsors to get in front of a whole new audience, it just makes business sense,” Vandervort said. “Now, we’re having real conversations about the return on the investment in women’s professional soccer.”

This year, the Super League announced Gainbridge had purchased the league’s naming rights, and it’s only seen an uptick in inbound interest since then, according to Vandervort. The league also has several endemic sponsors, including kit provider Capelli Sport and ball manufacturer Select.

In the NWSL, jersey sponsorships are breaking records at breakneck speed. Last year, Bay FC reportedly had the biggest back-of-jersey deal in the league with Trader Joe’s, and in February, Gotham FC and Dove reportedly broke the record again. Days later, the Portland Thorns and Ring were said to have agreed to the biggest deal in league history, exceeding $2.6 million.

“It’s not just about the dollars,” Matt Soloff, SVP, partnerships and business development at the NWSL, told us. “It’s about leaning into brands that want to lean into us at the highest level.”

Amazon, for instance, has a wide-ranging relationship with the NWSL that includes streaming rights to Friday night games and a playoff match on Prime Video, as well as an exclusive retail sponsorship for Amazon and the presenting sponsorship of the league’s Best XI Awards for Amazon Prime. The company also worked with the league and other media partners, including Togethxr, for a docuseries about the 2024 season.

It was the “rabid fanbase and the growth” of the league that made it stand out to a sponsor as big as Amazon, according to Deb Curtis, global director of marketing for Amazon Prime.

“The growth and the excitement around women’s sports, and obviously the NWSL, is incredibly energizing,” Curtis said. “Fandom fuels growth, and so we see our role as being able to go deeper. People know our brand, so how can our brand help to enhance that experience?”

Brand sponsorship dollars can also be invested back into the leagues, creating a virtuous cycle for women’s soccer.

For some players who have seen the industry shift in real time, it feels like vindication.

“What’s been proven is people love women’s sports,” Heath said. “That’s just the truth, and also, they love women’s athletes as people. Brands love women’s athletes. They’re more approachable. They’re better at marketing.”

This report was originally published by Marketing Brew.

Sports

Falcons Win Two Races at Season Opening Suffolk Relays

Published

10 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BOSTON, Mass. – Samantha Doran and Hannah Croteau won races for Bentley women’s track and field at the team’s first indoor meet of the season at the Suffolk Relays.

Doran, who competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships two weeks ago, won the 5000 meter race by more than 26 seconds with a time of 18:41.30.

Croteau won the 60 meter hurdles in 9.58

The one mile saw Bentley runners finish second and third. Lily Tedford, who also competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, was second (5:09.34) and Amelia Luetjen was third (5:36.20).

Molly Capece was third in the 3000 meter (10:45.56).

In the field events, Mia Bonner was third in the triple jump.

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Sports

Devils Win SU Holiday Open for Third Straight Year

Published

26 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

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WINCHESTER, Va. – For the third straight season the Dickinson women’s indoor track and field team opened up their season by winning the Shenandoah University Holiday Kickoff Open inside the James Wilkins Jr. Athletics and Events Center.

Sprints

Erin Olsavsky finished off the Top-5 for the 60m dash with a time of 8.07. Angie Braun also earned a Top-10 slot clocking in at 8.18 for ninth. When hurdles were put in front of the athletes Sylvie McMaken-Marsh nabbed sixth by hitting the line in 10.63. Allison Edmands and Melina Gregory claimed ninth (11.16) and tenth (11.18) respectively.

Three Devils got inside the Top-10 during the 200m as Olsavsky won the event in 26.04, followed by Emily Chaine in eighth (28.55) and Gregory in tenth (29.08). McMaken-Marsh just missed the Top-10 claiming eleventh at 30.14.

Chaine just missed the podium for the 400m as her time of 1:06.37 was good for fourth.

Distance

The 800m was only made up of Dickinson runners with Sophia Kovalski winning the race in 2:27.33, while Lauren Scott (2:43.08), Margaret Randolph (2:59.95) and Leah Bell (3:01.77) took up spots two through four.

Meghan Higgins-Haas rounded out the Top-3 for the 5000m by hitting the stripe in 18:48.14. The group of Breanna Franchak (5th – 19:52.05), Ellie Drescher (7th – 21:48.86), Jenna Kerns (8th – 21:49.49), Emma VanMeter (9th – 21:49.63) and Emma Lewis (10th – 22:23.36) had a great showing all finishing inside the Top-10.

Bell was the lone Devil to compete during the mile run earning an eighth-place result with a time of 6:42.03.

Relays

Dickinson put two teams forward for the 4x400m with the team of Gregory, Olsavsky, Randolph and Scott claiming the victory with a time of 4:41.66, while the group with Chaine, Drescher, Franchak and Kovalski falling just off the pace of their teammates grabbing second at 4:45.82.

Field

McMaken-Marsh collecting second-place during the pole vault by clearing 2.45m.

Another Dickinson victory came in the high jump when Amanda Hoglund eclipsed 1.48m, followed by Edmands in sixth (1.30m). Braun earned seventh for the long jump with a mark of 4.59m, while in the triple jump Braun and Hoglund took up seventh (9.52m) and eighth (9.51m) respectively.

Two Devils took part in the weight throw with Sarah Glickson just missing the podium landing in fourth with a mark of 13.45m. Anna Purvis gave a good showing in her first meet taking 15th at 9.29m. Glickson collected sixth for the shot put by dropping down at 9.65m, followed by Purvis (12th – 7.36m), Hoglund (13th – 7.13m) and Edmands (15th – 5.84m).

Up Next

Dickinson will next compete after the New Year holiday when they take part in the Moravian University Indoor Meet in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Saturday, January 17th beginning at 10am.

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Lehman Wins Two Events in Season Opener

Published

42 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh women’s track & field team kicked off its season on Saturday (Dec. 6) by hosting the annual Early Bird Invitational/Multi at Kolf Sports Center. In the non-scoring meet, the Titans won six events.

The pentathlon kicked off the season for the Titans on Friday night and was highlighted by a second-place finish by Halle Meyer (Kiel/Kiel), who scored 3,096 points.

The Titans started off strong in Saturday’s full day of events as Ella Kojis (Dousman/Waukesha South) won the 3,000-meter run in 10:52.79.

The Titans grabbed two more medals in the 400-meter dash, with Addie Baker (Delavan/Elkhorn Area) finishing second in 59.23 seconds and Maddy LaVoi (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial) finishing third at 59.30.

Amelia Lehman (Oshkosh/Valley Christian) kicked off her season in the mile run. The two-time All-American won the event with a personal record of 4:46.50. Freshman Lehna Mitchell (Oshkosh/Oshkosh North) took third in the event in 5:09.08.

Lehman came back to win her second event of the day in the 800-meter run in 2:20.06. Adriana Garcia (Green Bay/Green Bay East) and Anabel Mitchell (Oshkosh/Oshkosh North) rounded out the events’ top three with Garcia finishing in 2:23.45 and Mitchell finishing in 2:27.24. The Titans swept each of the top-five positions in the event.

Addie Baker (Delavan/Elkhorn Area) won the 200-meter dash, finishing in a time of 25.80 seconds. Mia Riley (Janesville/Janesville Parker) grabbed third in the event with a time of 26.52 seconds in her first collegiate meet.

In the 5,000-meter run, Jamie Catania (Fond du Lac/Horace Mann) picked up second-place with a time of 18:17.55.

The team of Anabel Mitchell (Oshkosh/Oshkosh North), Lehna Mitchell (Oshkosh/Oshkosh North), Garcia, and Megan Hoffman (Clayton/Clayton) placed third in the 4×400 meter relay with a 4:14.27 finish.

The Titans picked up two medals in the weight throw. Kaelyn Bilello (Menomonee Falls/Menomonee Falls) took second with a throw of 15.64 meters and Abi Masloroff (Franklin/Franklin) finished third with a 15.25-meter mark.

Brooklyn Manz (Kiel/Kiel) won the shot put with a throw of 12.98 meters.

Haley Kanitz (Menomonee Falls/Menomonee Falls) tied for first in the pole vault with a vault of 3.36 meters.

The Titans return to the track in 2026 as they host the Alumni & Friends Invitational on Saturday, January 17 at Kolf Sports Center.

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Sports

Thomas Crushes 5k School Record In Season Opener

Published

59 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BOSTON, Mass. – A steady stream of PRs and new top-10 marks meant that Husky track was back. Washington had a group of a dozen distance runners, some of them just two weeks removed from the NCAA Cross Country Championships, racing on the famously fast oval at the BU Track & Tennis Center to kick off the 2025-26 indoor season.

The big UW highlight out of many at today’s Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener was new Dawg Chloe Thomas shattering the School Record in the 5,000-meters. Thomas, an All-American transfer from UConn, just last week took runner-up honors at the Canadian Cross Country National Championships, and she carried that momentum onto the track today with a PR time of 15:16.93.

That broke the Husky indoor 5k record by a massive 22 seconds. Haley Herberg set the prior record of 15:38.37 in 2024. Thomas’ time was also faster than the UW outdoor record of 15:22.81 set just last season by Amina Maatoug.

In a later 5k heat, Julia David-Smith dropped a 10-second indoor PR to jump up to No. 4 in school history behind just Thomas, Herberg, and Izzi Batt-Doyle. David-Smith ran 15:45.01 today in her first track race since July.

Another new Husky went out and broke a national record on day one. Freshman Chloe Symon, a Vancouver, B.C. native, knocked off a Canadian U20 indoor record that had stood since 1988. Symon ran 2:04.56 to take fourth in the 800-meters and set the new record. It also puts her up to No. 7 in Husky indoor history just one race into her career.

There was a third Chloe thriving today for the women’s team, as All-American Chloe Foerster ran the fastest 3,000-meters time of her career, going 8:56.22. That puts Foerster up to No. 3 in school history indoors.

First-year Dawg Jenica Swartz dropped an impressive mile season opener, taking fourth in the elite section in 4:35.67, just a second off the top-10 list. Mia Cochran, coming off leading the squad at NCAA XC two weeks back, opened her track season in the 3k with a time of 9:16.54.

For the men’s team, all six Huskies on the trip were focusing on the 3,000-meters. The top time came from transfer Reuben Reina, who went straight to No. 4 in school history with a run of 7:43.16.

Two more Husky men opened up with sub-8-minute runs. Tyler Bilyard, making his Husky debut, ran 7:55.80 for a PR, and redshirt freshman Nathan Neil came across in 7:57.01. True freshman Josiah Tostenson opened up with a 8:03.31 and Thom Diamond clocked a time of 8:16.62. Freshman Owen Powell also raced today but served as a pace-setter in the 3k.

Next week will see many of the Husky jumpers, vaulters and sprinters get an early season test at the Spokane Invitational, on Saturday, Dec. 13. Then it’s a month-long break from competition for the end of the quarter and the holidays before the Dempsey

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Cal Poly Volleyball topples No. 4 seed USC, advance to third round of NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years

Published

60 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

For the first time since 2007, Cal Poly Volleyball is advancing to the third round of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament, after upsetting No. 4 seed USC in a five-set match on Friday.

With the 3-2 win, they claimed a spot in the top 16, also known as the “Sweet Sixteen,” and destroyed any remaining perfect tournament brackets in ESPN’s bracket prediction challenge.

“That was an incredible performance by a group of people that love one another, that love this game and that have committed to something bigger than themselves,” head coach Caroline Walters said.

The Mustangs have not faced the Trojans since 2012, where they lost in a 3-0 sweep. Ranking at No. 13 in the country and beating three ranked teams throughout the season, USC was favored in Friday’s match. Just like in Thursday’s upset win over BYU, Cal Poly defied the odds once again, ending the Trojan’s season.

READ MORE: Cal Poly Volleyball upsets BYU to advance to second round of NCAA Tournament

The Mustangs started the match hot, winning the first two sets 25-19 and 25-20. With a shot at a sweep, the momentum was not enough as they fell to the Women of Troy in set three with a score 25-20, and again took a 25-14 loss in the fourth set, recording their worst offensive performance of the night with a hitting percentage of .079%.

“I just kept saying to everyone, and I knew everyone else was saying it or thinking it in their heads, but we’re here for a reason,” redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis said. “We’re going to the fifth set for a reason.”

Despite the back to back losses, the Mustangs came up big in set five, mirroring sets one and two and dominating USC 15-7 to send themselves to the next round of the tournament.

“I am in awe of my team,” Walters said.

Fredrick and Beshear lead the charge

Two standout players for the Mustangs throughout the entirety of the season have been junior outside hitter Emma Fredrick and sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear. Through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament their dominance has only increased.

In Friday’s match both achieved double-doubles with Fredrick leading both the offense and defense with 17 kills and 17 digs, while Beshear notched 12 kills and 14 digs.

During the season, Beshear led the Big West Conference with 52 service aces followed by Fredrick in the No. 3 spot with 37. The pair combined for three out of Cal Poly’s eight total service aces against USC.

“Being able to go back there and knowing that I have the support of everyone around me to just go be free and be smiley and take a rip out of the ball … that’s what gives me the confidence to do what I can do,” Beshear said.

Dominant on defense

With a player earning a new career high in blocks and four players entering the double digits in digs, Cal Poly’s defense worked like a charm in helping them secure the upset win.

Freshman middle blocker Charlotte Kelly was a force to be reckoned with at the net as she notched seven blocks, a career high and accounted for over half of Cal Poly’s blocks. Kelly is getting her first ever tournament action this season after she was moved up to the starting rotation when redshirt middle blocker Breklyn Pulling faced a season-ending injury over the summer.

“I think Charlotte Kelly is the unsung hero of this group,” Walters said. “Her coming in as a true freshman and doing what she does is insane,”

Cal Poly will now move on to the sweet sixteen to face No. 1 seeded Kentucky at their home stadium. Credit: Lloyd Esola / Mustang News

Following closely behind Fredrick in defensive statistics, sophomore libero Elif Hurriyet claimed the second defensive spot in tonight’s match as she brought in 16 digs.

Racking in 71 digs and 10 blocks, the Mustangs were able to hold the Trojans at an overall hitting percentage of .237%, just under their season.

The Mustangs are up for a challenge as they will head to Kentucky to face No.1 seed University of Kentucky in the regional semifinals on Dec. 11 at 12:30 p.m.

The Wildcats are on a 24 game winning streak and have an overall record of 27-2, only losing to No. 1 ranked University of Nebraska and No. 7 ranked University of Pittsburgh.

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Sports

Cooke, King, Relay Squad Set School Records, Boucher Wins Event, Multiple Eagles Place in Top Five School Marks

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Eagles opened the indoor season in emphatic fashion as three school records and seven all-time top five marks powered Winthrop at Sunday’s JDL Early Bird Invitational.

Meet Information

Dec. 7 | JDL Fast Track | Final Results

IN THE FIELD

Freshman Carina Fiorucci delivered one of the day’s highlights with a 3.30m clearance in the women’s pole vault, moving her to fourth all-time in program history.

Senior Faith Wood added another top performance in the women’s triple jump, finishing with an 11.62m mark that ranks fifth all-time for the Eagles.

On the men’s side, senior Timothy Speaks broke into the Winthrop top five in the weight throw, placing fifth overall with a 16.24m toss that now stands fifth all-time.

ON THE TRACK

The men ignited the afternoon with a sweep of school records on the track. Junior Shane King opened the run with a 21.85 performance in the 200m, securing the win and breaking the long-standing indoor school record of 21.89 set in 2007. Teammate Michael Boucher also climbed the charts, posting a 22.09 claiming the #4 all-time spot.

The momentum continued in the 600m, where junior Kendale Cooke stormed to a 1:23.11 finish to take the event to win and shatter the program record. Juniors Jurnii Lucas (1:24.01) and Darrell Price (1:24.58) followed close behind, slotting into #2 and #3 all-time, respectively.

Winthrop closed the meet by rewriting another record, as Price, King, Lucas, and Cooke combined to win the men’s 4x400m relay in 3:18.06, breaking the previous school mark.

On the women’s side, junior Jordan Bailem turned in a strong showing in the 60m hurdles, running 8.85 to earn fourth all-time in program history.

NEXT UP
The Eagles will return to the track in the new year for the Gamecock Opener on Jan. 10.

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