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🚨 Headlines
🏀 Upsets galore: Three ranked men’s college basketball teams were in action on Thursday, and they all lost to unranked teams. Minnesota beat No. 20 Michigan (via buzzer-beater!), Oregon State took down No. 16 Gonzaga, and Temple beat No. 18 Memphis.
⚾️ HOF voting update: Ichiro Suzuki (100% of the vote), C.C. Sabathia (93.3%), Billy Wagner (84.7%) and Carlos Beltran (80.4%) are trending towards Hall of Fame induction with just over 40% of ballots publicly known. The final results will be announced on Tuesday.
🏒 Ovi makes history: Alex Ovechkin scored the game-winner in OT to lift the Capitals past the Senators and break the NHL record for most goaltenders scored on (179). He also moved within 21 goals of passing Wayne Gretzky for most all-time.
🏀 Thunder get revenge: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (40 points) and the Thunder destroyed the Cavaliers in OKC, 134-114, in a battle of the NBA’s two best teams. This comes a week after the Cavs beat them in Cleveland.
💔 RIP, Bob: Bob Uecker, the longtime voice of the Brewers also known for his iconic role in “Major League,” passed away on Thursday at 90 years old. He was “the soundtrack of our summers,” the team said in a statement. Rest easy, legend.
📈 Women’s sports: Business is booming
It wasn’t long ago that the WNBA struggled to draw viewers. Now, there’s a big enough appetite for women’s basketball that an entirely new league is launching today with record salaries,* big name backers, blue chip sponsors and a $100 million media rights deal.
The future is now: Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 league featuring 36 WNBA players, is a direct reflection of how much has changed in a few short years. Women’s sports is no longer merely “on the rise” or “a space to watch”; it’s a thriving industry where surging fan engagement is driving sponsorship dollars, athlete earnings and investor interest through the roof.
Building on a huge year: Thanks in no small part to the rising tide that is Caitlin Clark, the women’s sports boom leveled up in 2024 (and the first few weeks of 2025) across just about every category.
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Valuations and earnings: Angel City FC was sold for a women’s sports record $250 million, pushing the average NWSL franchise valuation over $100 million (up 57% YoY). The world’s 15 highest-paid female athletes earned $221 million in 2024 (up from $174 in 2023). The WTA and LPGA awarded historic prize money, and women’s basketball teams will earn performance pay during this year’s March Madness due to the tournament’s surging media value.
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Media and investment: The WNBA’s new $2.2 billion broadcasting deal is worth 6x its current deal, and Netflix signed a “landmark” deal with FIFA to secure the U.S. rights for the next two Women’s World Cups. Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang pledged $30 million to U.S. Soccer to grow the women’s game (plus $4 million to fund women’s rugby), and Whoopi Goldberg launched the All Women’s Sports Network.
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Viewership and attendance: The NCAA women’s national championship (featuring Clark) was ESPN’s most-watched college basketball game ever (18.9M viewers), and the WNBA Finals were the most-watched in 25 years (1.6M). The NWSL had record attendance (11,250 per game) and viewership (5x jump from 2023), UConn women’s basketball reported more ticket sales ($3.25M) than 75 public men’s programs, and the PWHL on Sunday set a U.S. women’s hockey attendance record (14,108).
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Expansion and creation: The NWSL added two expansion teams (Bay FC, Utah Royals) and announced a third (Denver**), while the WNBA added one expansion team (Golden State Valkyries) and announced two more (Portland, Toronto). Three new leagues debuted (PWHL, USL Super League, League One Volleyball), and three were announced (Women’s Lacrosse League, Women’s Professional Baseball League, Major League Volleyball).
But wait, there’s more: The Paris Olympics were the first ever to achieve full gender parity, the NWSL’s KC Current opened the world’s first stadium built specifically for a women’s pro team, both Time (Clark) and Sports Illustrated (Simone Biles) named women as their Athletes of the Year, and bars dedicated to women’s sports continue to open across the country.
*Unrivaled money: Players have been given equity in the new league, and their average salary ($222,222) is nearly twice as much as the WNBA’s ($119,500) and the highest among all women’s team sports.
**Consider this: Denver secured the NWSL’s 16th franchise at an expansion fee of $110 million, which is 55x (!!!) the league’s expansion fee just three years ago ($2 million). If that isn’t evidence of explosive growth, I don’t know what is.
🏈 Divisional Round primer
The NFL’s final eight teams will battle it out this weekend in the Divisional Round, which often delivers the best set of games* all year.
Texans (+8.5) at Chiefs (Sat. 4:30pm ET, ESPN/ABC): Kansas City’s road to a third straight Super Bowl begins after a historically strange season. Their +59 scoring differential is 62 points worse than any other 15-win team