🏟️ Women's Sports Growth and Popularity Continue to Rise!

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Sports Industry Weekly as we share insights from the top business headlines from across the sports industry.

Women's Sports Growth and Popularity Continue to Rise!

Major news this week across the sports industry as we continue to see investments in women’s professional sports leagues:

🏐 League One Volleyball (LOVB) secured $100 million of new funding ahead of their six-team professional league launch in January, 2025. Their investors include Atwater Capital, Ares Management, and Left Lane Capital, while previous investors include Lindsey Vonn, Candace Parker, Amy Schumer, and Kevin Durant.

⚽️ Businesswoman and Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang made a historic $30 million investment in U.S. Soccer. This new funding will help create over 100,000 opportunities for women and girls in soccer.

📈 The WNBA aims to expand to 16 teams by 2028, with potential cities including Denver, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, Kansas City (supported by Patrick Mahomes’ efforts), and St. Louis (led by Jayson Tatum’s efforts). Additionally, Cleveland has just entered the conversation, backed by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s campaigning.

🏀 Giannis Antetokounmpo’s new venture capital firm has invested in Unrivaled, and the league’s official team rosters have been announced, featuring 36 players competing in Season 1—including co-founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The league’s games will be played in Miami and will kick off in January, with two “wildcard” roster spots available on the Lunar Owls and Phantom Basketball Clubs.

Every week, our team updates a list of the latest jobs in the sports industry from companies like the Golden State Warriors, Big 12 Conference, Boston Red Sox, FIFA World Cup 2026, PGA Tour, NFL, Overtime Elite and more!

The SBV Job Board is a great resource for anyone looking for a new role in sports, and The Playbook provides job resources and networking access to help secure your next career opportunity in the industry.

🥊 Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions' Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson mega-event made history with over 108 million live global viewers. Additionally, the event's undercard fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano became the most-watched professional women's sports event in U.S. history.

💰 NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo has launched his venture capital firm, "Build Your Legacy Ventures," focusing on investments in sports and entertainment. BYL Ventures has already invested in Unrivaled, Candy Funhouse, the Milwaukee Brewers, Nashville SC, LA Golf Club, and his Improbable Media production company.

📺 ESPN confirmed reports that it will take over the broadcast rights for "Inside The NBA" starting in the 2025-2026 NBA season. TNT Sports will continue to produce and license the show to ESPN and ABC, despite losing its league rights in the NBA's new media deal.

🤝 LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company and Fulwell 73, a UK-based production company known for “The Kardashians” and “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” have officially merged and secured $40 million in funding to strengthen their presence in the entertainment and content market.

🏀 Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Mikey Williams, Jalil Bethea and Elliot Cadeau are the most marketable college basketball athletes according to Out2Win Sports official 2024-25 College Basketball Athlete Marketability Report.

👟 Complex awarded Anthony Edwards' AE1 as the Sneaker of the Year at last weekend's ComplexCon. What does Adidas have in the lab for the AE2?

🐝 The NFL announced that Beyoncé will perform on Netflix at the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans Christmas Day game. After the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fiasco, will the streaming platform be able to handle the traffic from the BeyHive?

🎄 Disney and ESPN are launching a Mickey Mouse-themed NBA alternate broadcast for the Christmas Day game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks. Will you be tuning in with the kids?

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