🏟️ The NWSL’s Explosive Growth

Happy March—one of the most exciting sports months of the year!

This week’s edition of Sports Industry Weekly will breakdown insights from the top business headlines from across the industry.

Let’s jump right into it…

The NWSL’s Explosive Growth

The NWSL is becoming one of the fastest growing leagues in all of sports.

With record-breaking attendance, skyrocketing viewership, and major new investors, the league has significant momentum heading into its 2025 season:

🔥 Packed Stadiums – For the first time ever, over 2 million fans attended NWSL matches, with average game attendance surpassing 11,000—the highest in league history.

⚽️ Must-See TV – Total viewership hit 18.7 million, a 5x increase from 2023, proving the demand for women’s soccer is bigger than ever.

📲 Social Media Up Big – The NWSL’s total followers grew by 198%, fueling engagement and putting women’s soccer at the forefront of digital sports conversations.

🎥 Athlete Storytelling – Amazon Prime recently released “For The Win,” a four-part docuseries covering the 2024 NWSL Playoffs, bringing the league’s biggest moments to a global audience.

💰 Star-Studded Ownership – WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu (Bay FC) and global artist Tems (San Diego FC) joined the growing list of athletes and entertainers investing in the league’s future.

🏆 Top Valuations – The NWSL dominates the list of the most valuable women’s sports franchises, with five teams ranked in the top 10—including Angel City FC (#1) and Kansas City Current (#2).

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🏀 Unrivaled is officially selling player-specific jerseys, merchandise, and collectibles after signing a partnership deal with the WNBPA and OneTeam to collectively drive revenue through sponsorships and licensing.

🥊 Dana White and Saudi combat sports promoter Turki Alalshikh are launching a new boxing league together under the TKO banner, backed by WWE President Nick Khan and Saudi entertainment giant Sela.

💰 Serena Williams was announced as a minority owner of the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA expansion team. She joins the group alongside Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures.

🇯🇵 As MLB prepares for its upcoming Tokyo Series, Fanatics and Complex are collaborating on a limited edition collection that infuses Takashi Murakami’s signature design style into Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs products and merchandise.

🎟️ Caitlin Clark’s preseason game between the Indiana Fever and the Brazil National Team at the Iowa Hawkeyes arena sold out in 40 minutes, and resale prices are going for at least $700.

🐏 New UNC Football Head Coach Bill Belichick will be featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason, after NFL Films could not find an NFL team interested.

⚾️ Portland is making a significant push for an MLB franchise as the potential ownership group revealed plans for a $2 billion waterfront ballpark.

🏀 Ahead of the start of College Basketball’s March Madness, the Big 12 Conference partnered with global streetwear brand and retailer UNDEFEATED to unveil their new conference championship courts.