Just Women's Sports

The numbers are in for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League's debut season, showcasing wins in attendance, engagement, viewership, and sales. The first-ever Championship Series capped the AUSL's inaugural run, with the Talons sweeping the Bandits to claim the title this past Sunday. Guided by seasoned commissioner Kim Ng and boosted by an eight-figure investment from Major League Baseball, the four-team pro softball upstart played 20 of its 29 games in front of sell-out crowds while raking in more than $1,000,000 in merchandise revenue. AUSL also made a splash online, picking up 237,000,000 impressions across social media plus 5,300,000 web hits according to a recent Sports Business Journal report. Live game coverage across ESPN platforms saw a significant rise, averaging 117,000 viewers per game — up 65% over last year’s truncated format. Those overall ratings were promising enough to upgrade last weekend's Championship Series from ESPN2 to ESPN, where a high of 347,000 fans tuned in to see the Talons lift the 2025 trophy. “In the world of softball it was a great day,” Talons head coach Howard Dobson said after the win. “This league is going up, it’s continuing to rise, and there’s no ceiling. It’s gonna keep growing and keep growing. We’re really proud of the opportunity to be the first champion.”

UEFA Women's Euro 2025 made English language history, averaging a record-458,000 US viewers per game to mark a 97% increase over 2022. Sunday's final showdown between defending champions England and 2023 World Cup winners Spain averaged 1.355 million US viewers on Fox, up 53% over the previous Euro Final. The broadcast peaked at 1.92 million, becoming the most-watched English language Euro Final in tournament history. “It absolutely helps grow the fan base,” World Cup champion and Fox Sports Euros commentator Carli Lloyd told The Athletic. “More and more people are tuning in to watch soccer in the US... There’s just been an incredible amount of soccer on display, which has been fantastic for the sport.”

The Indiana Fever might not lead the league in scoring, but they are topping the WNBA in brand partnerships with 92 sponsorship deals this season. The stat comes via SponsorUnited’s first-ever WNBA Partnerships Report, published last week. The Fever's current deals include a jersey patch contract with Indianapolis pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. as well as a partnership with digital life insurance company Gainbridge. Gainbridge's investment also extends to the Fever's roster, with the Indiana-based fintech firm first signing second-year guard Caitlin Clark while she was playing college basketball at Iowa. According to Sports Business Journal, SponsorUnited compiled information from 422,000+ brand profiles, 2.5 million contracts, and 21.1 million data points across sports, entertainment, media, and talent. The Washington Mystics follow the Fever with 65 endorsement deals, while the third-place Chicago Sky count 57 brand partnerships.

A signed, one-of-one Caitlin Clark trading card sold for $660,000 this week, becoming the most expensive women’s sports card of all time. Entering bidding at $336,000, 26 collectors put in for the 2024 Panini Flawless WNBA Platinum Rookie Logowoman Patch card at last night’s Fanatics Collect July Premier Auction. Marked the note “769 points and counting” — Clark’s rookie season scoring total — the sale far exceeded the previous high of $366,000 paid for the former No. 1 draft pick’s 2024 Panini Prizm card last March. As both the WNBA and sports memorabilia surge in popularity, 10 of Clark’s official cards have now passed the $100,000 mark at auction. 14 of those cards have sold for more than Clark’s $78,066 second-year WNBA salary, with the most recent record-breaking bid outpacing the entirety of her four-year $338,056 contract with Indiana. In 2023, New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu’s 2020 Panini Prizm WNBA Black Gold card went for a then-record $10,800, showcasing a massive leap in market value.

England’s Euro 2025 semifinal win over Italy peaked at 10.2 million UK viewers on Tuesday, becoming ITV’s most-watched programming of 2025. Averaging 8 million viewers across the match's 120 minutes, a high of 10.2 million fans tuned in to watch star striker Chloe Kelly score the game-winner off a penalty rebound in extra time. Kelly's goal sent the defending Euros champions to Sunday's 2025 Final against 2023 World Cup winners Spain. ITV’s digital platform ITVX also saw its biggest audience of the year, as 17.2 million streamers watched England advance to the Final. The semifinal's success builds on the UK's booming Euros ratings, with the BBC reporting a peak of 7.3 million viewers during the home squad's quarterfinal matchup against Sweden.

Commanders star Bobby Wagner has purchased a minority stake in the Seattle Storm, becoming the first active NFL player to join a WNBA team's ownership group. A Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks, Wagner spent 10 years in Seattle before signing with Washington ahead of the 2024 season. “Bobby is a hometown hero who has had immeasurable impact on the Seattle community,” said Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel. “He shares our desire to grow the game and knows the value and importance of investing in women’s sports.” Wagner’s buy-in further establishes the Storm as a WNBA powerhouse, after Forbes ranked the Storm as the third most-valuable WNBA team with an estimated valuation of $330 million just last month. The four-time league champions are also investing in themselves, recently opening a $64 million state-of-the-art dedicated training facility. “It’s an honor to join the Seattle Storm ownership group and support a franchise that has consistently set the standard in women’s professional sports,” said Wagner. “This is about more than basketball, it’s about investing in a legacy of excellence, empowering women, and continuing to elevate the game for future generations.” 

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend's 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge averaged 1.3 million viewers on ESPN, an 89% increase year-over-year. Punctuated by Sabrina Ionescu's 3-Point Contest victory and NY Liberty teammate Natasha Cloud's Skills Challenge win, Friday's events were the most-watched in WNBA All-Star history. The Indianapolis-based coverage also ranked as Friday's most-viewed primetime programming across several demographics, including viewers under 35 and adults aged 18 to 34. Saturday's marquee WNBA All-Star Game fared slightly worse, drawing an average of 2.19 million viewers down from 2024's record 3.44 million. However, the mid-season showdown still weighed in as Saturday night's most-watched programming across all television, as well as the second most-watched All-Star Game in WNBA history.

3×3 upstart league Unrivaled is stocking up on NCAA talent, recently signing 14 of the biggest stars in women’s college basketball to new NIL deals. March Madness standouts JuJu Watkins (USC) and Azzi Fudd (UConn) headline the roster, joined by Sarah Strong (UConn), Lauren Betts (UCLA), Sienna Betts (UCLA), Kiki Rice (UCLA), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), MiLaysia Fulwiley (LSU), Ta’Niya Latson (South Carolina), Syla Swords (Michigan), Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Madison Booker (Texas), and Olivia Miles (TCU). LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson also renewed her NIL partnership with the league, becoming Unrivaled’s second-ever college signing last year after former UConn guard Paige Bueckers. “Investing in elite women’s basketball talent is central to Unrivaled’s mission,” said Luke Cooper, Unrivaled's president of basketball operations. “This transformational, first-of-its-kind initiative brings together the best of the best and reflects our deep commitment to elevating the women’s game and holistically supporting athletes.” While Watkins and Johnson both secured equity in the league, the other NCAA additions weren’t afforded that benefit — nor will they be guaranteed a roster spot once they turn pro. Unrivaled is planning to keep their core roster number at 36 next year, though injury replacement players will again be on the table while a two-team expansion is targeted for 2027.

Two-time WNBA All-Star Angel Reese will feature on NBA 2K26's WNBA Edition, with the Chicago Sky forward serving as the video game's cover star. Reese is the sixth WNBA player to grace the cover of 2K, and the second Sky player after retired league legend Candace Parker. Reese also used last week's NBA2K announcement to give fans a sneak peek at her first signature Reebok shoe, including the upcoming Angel Reese 1s in the cover's illustration. “Being on the cover of NBA 2K26 and debuting my first-ever signature shoe with Reebok on that cover, the Angel Reese 1, is more than a milestone — it’s a statement,” Reese said in a release. “It’s about representation and showing young girls they can be confident, bold, and take up space unapologetically.” With her Reebok shoe set to be released in 2026, Reese was seen wearing the sneaker's "Diamond Dust" colorway during Chicago’s win over Dallas last Wednesday.

Arsenal signed Liverpool's Olivia Smith for a record £1 million fee this week, marking the first £1 million transfer in women's football history. At $1.4 million USD, the 20-year-old attacker's fee topped USWNT defender Naomi Girma's then-record $1.1 million transfer to fellow WSL side Chelsea in January of this year. “It’s a privilege and an honour to sign for Arsenal,” Smith said in an Arsenal release. “It’s my dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England and in Europe and I’m excited to get started and contribute to doing that here.” Smith recorded seven goals over 20 WSL appearances in her debut season for Liverpool in 2024/25, accounting for almost a third of her club’s overall goals on the season. Transfer fees continue to rise in the women’s game, with more record-breaking numbers expected after Girma became the first player to break the $1 million mark in January. Prior to Girma’s big move, Bay FC’s reported $860,000 signing of Zambia forward Racheal Kundananji set a new high in 2024. Smith’s transfer indicates new willingness to spend at the highest levels of women’s football — and Arsenal’s ambition to remain at the top of the sport.