Raising the bar
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hi there!
While the Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) was announced back in 2024, it began its first full season this past weekend. The league’s four teams headed to Rhode Island to battle it out, with lacrosse star Charlotte North joining ESPN’s Vibe Check before scoring the WLL’s first-ever goal over the weekend.
- The WLL has already courted blue-chip sponsors like IBM, U.S. Bank, Gatorade, Lexus, and Nike, which announced an expansive apparel partnership before the season began. Top cheddar.
Women’s sports
🍺 Don’t forget to tip
The GIST: Everyone wants to be in the women’s sports bar business these days, so The Sports Bra is making it easy for anyone to own a piece of the action. Yesterday, the Portland-based enterprise built on its expanding franchise business by rolling out a new investment opportunity: A crowdfunding campaign called “Own a Piece of The Bra.”
- This allows investors to come in at a low price and support the mission, and they stand to benefit if the bar succeeds even more than it has already. Let’s review where it all started and what this new strategy means for The Sports Bra’s success. Cheers.
The background: Founded by Jenny Nguyen in 2022, The Sports Bra was the first-ever bar dedicated exclusively to women’s sports. Beyond spurring a national trend, The Sports Bra drew the attention of entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, who teamed up with Nguyen to establish franchising. The first four sites were confirmed last June, and the bar plans to open over 40 locations by 2030.
How it works: There are multiple investment levels that come with unique perks — a $100K investment, for example, includes a dinner party with Nguyen. The minimum amount is $250 and the campaign has raised $47.8K from 63 investors so far. It’s a SAFE investment, meaning donors can invest cash that translates to company stake if a trigger event occurs, like being acquired or going public.
- And with the business model that’s been laid out, that seems to be the goal. The Sports Bra is projecting $75M in annual revenue within four years — a big jump from the $1M in revenue it generated in its first eight months, but this number accounts for combined revenue across all franchise locations.
Why it works: Right now, investing a little bit into The Sports Bra warrants a sticker and a badge — but it’s a multimillion-dollar idea that could pay off later. People love women’s sports bars, and by building a scalable product, Ohanian and Nguyen are tapping into momentum and giving passionate sports fans with some cash a way to bring the idea to their community.
- The crowdfunding also allows The Sports Bra to build a bigger and better product, including a new flagship headquarters in Portland.
- Once again, The Sports Bra is embracing the grassroots feel of what made the OG location such a success by giving passionate women’s sports fans the opportunity to join this community. And now, they can literally invest in its future. Raising the bar.
Together With Major League Volleyball
🏐 A true serve
🏐 ICYMI (or if you simply want to relive the magic), Major League Volleyball (MLV) crowned its winner last weekend in a showdown made for prime time.
Here’s your highlight reel of the ace-worthy action:
- 🏆Dallas Pulse claims the title, beating Omaha Supernovas in a thrilling 5-set victory.
- ⭐️Match MVP Sofia Maldonado Diaz set the tone with 26 kills while middle blocker Tristin Savage shut down the Supernovas' offense with 7 blocks to claim the W.
- ✅ Capping off an incredible first season in the league, Dallas Pulse walked away with not only the MLV Trophy, but also the $1M bonus. Bump, set, slay.
This season, the athletes played for over 400k fans throughout the league, with all of the 116 matches broadcast. Wins all around.
🏒 PWHL continues expansion with San Jose franchise
After confirming Detroit, Hamilton, and Las Vegas would receive franchises, the PWHL is expected to announce its fourth and final expansion location: San Jose, CA. The city is already home to the NHL’s Sharks, but like Las Vegas, was not tested as a potential market during the league’s Takeover Tour. San Jose marks the PWHL’s 12th team, meaning the league has doubled in size since the puck first dropped in January 2024.
- And the other new franchises are busy making moves: PWHL Detroit named former LA Kings exec Manon Rhéaume — the first woman to play in an NHL preseason game — as its GM. Meanwhile, PWHL Las Vegas brought in Dominique DiDia as its GM, meaning eight of the league’s 10 GMs are women. Who run the world?
🎾 The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) files lawsuit targeting Wimbledon, French Open
The PTPA, the tennis players’ union co-founded by Novak Djokovic, filed a lawsuit last week after the French Open and Wimbledon organizers denied the union credentials. This follows a larger lawsuit last year in which the PTPA alleged that the biggest organizations and competitions in tennis conspired to form a “cartel” to suppress athlete wages and disregard the health of players.
- Notably, this lawsuit did not include the US Open or the Australian Open, the latter of which approved credentials for the organization in January while also settling a deal with the PTPA for the 2025 lawsuit.
🎓 Some good news during graduation season: Arkansas reinstated recently-cut women’s and men’s tennis programs thanks to donor contributions. That’s one way to do it…
🏀 The Upshot League, which hopes to become an NBA G-league equivalent for the W, announced its media rights distribution with Scripps Sports, YouTube, and local television in all four league markets.
🥊 MMA legend Ronda Rousey received a $2.2M payout from her 17-second bout against Gina Carano on Netflix.
✨ The WTA debuted a new fashion-focused athlete series called Style Unpacked on the association’s YouTube channel. Serving looks.
🧳 New eBay research found luxury fashion dominates the resale market, indicating the strong desire for such brands as they incorporate sports into their marketing strategies.
🏛️ A California federal judge approved a $303M settlement for unpaid NCAA “volunteer” coaches, meaning the 7.7K coaches who served in such roles can expect at least $5K (and $26.9K on average).
⚽ Chelsea FC Women became the eighth and final team to join London’s first-ever World Sevens Football tournament after the tourney’s iterations in Portugal and the U.S. Feeling blue.
🍻 Where to go
The bar—literally. Women’s sports bars are taking over the U.S., with more and more opening in 2026. More places to cheer, more reasons to celebrate.
🏌️♀️ What to shop
Fabletics. Their golf line will have you (or your giftee) hitting the links in style.
⛳ What to play
Coffee Golf. What better way to start your day than with a quick golf game and a cup of coffee?
Today's email was brought to you by Aryanna Prasad Bhullar and Briana Ekanem. Fact checking by Bonnie Lee. Operations by Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Molly Potter, Katie Kehoe Foster, and Ellen Hyslop. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.