Recent Sports News Trends: Women's Basketball Boost, NIL Deals and More

A look at the sports news from PR Newswire in March and April that you might have missed.

 

 

By Hunter Johnson | Published May 9, 2024

 

Throughout March and April, PR Newswire distributed over 1,000 sports-related press releases that blended tradition with innovation in compelling ways. 

As March rolled in, so did the annual basketball tournament that is always sure to drive people insane. While the matchups and Cinderella stories are usually the topic of conversation, this year women athletes were the MVPs.

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Flau'jae Johnson are just a few of the names currently dominating women’s sports. According to StubHub's Inaugural WNBA Season Preview, WNBA sales on StubHub grew by 93% compared to last season. The Indiana Fever is at the forefront of this growth, with sales skyrocketing 13-fold, following their draft pick of college basketball star Caitlin Clark.

Additionally, the sports industry saw the growing implementation of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals for college athletes, signaling a significant shift in the collegiate sports landscape.

Amidst all of this, pickleball continued to gain traction amongst enthusiasts of all ages.

In this post, we'll dive into the big trends and readers' favorite sports releases of March and April.

Some of the Most Popular Sports Releases

• Carol’s Daughter Announces Official Hair Sponsorship of Tennis Sensation Coco Gauff
• Best Tasting Burgers, Best Deals: Wendy's Fuels March Madness Fans with $1 Dave's Single and $2 Dave's Double All Tournament Long
• Riddell Acquires Simbex to Expand Athlete Performance Platform and Enhance Core Capabilities
• TeamSnap Unveils New World-Class Training Content to Empower Coaches and Parents
• Josh Harris & David Blitzer Launch Unrivaled Sports and Take Significant, Strategic Investment From The Chernin Group

 

 

Sports News Trends

Here’s a look at a few of the trends we noticed among sports-related press releases in March and April, with a few examples of each.

Women’s Basketball

From partnerships to tournaments, this basketball season was a high-scoring one for women’s teams. In fact, the women's college basketball fanbase increased by +50%, growing from 12% in May of 2023 to 18% in March of 2024, just as the 2024 tournament kicked off, according to recent Magid research.

Over the past two months, PR Newswire distributed over 200 press releases that mentioned “basketball”.

Check out some of the ones that stood out:

• The Aflac Duck agrees: Everyone watches women's sports
• State Farm® re-signs as title sponsor for WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on ION
• The WNBA has a new Ally: Las Vegas Aces and Ally Financial Announce Multi-Year Deal, Aces Players Join Team Ally

Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Deals

The regulations of name, image and likeness partnerships continue to reshape the landscape of college sports, empowering student-athletes to monetize their personal brands.

We’ve seen quite a few releases about NIL deals on the wire during the past two months. Here’s a look at the ones that caught our eye:

• The Athlete's Foot Proudly Announces Flau'jae Johnson as 2024 Brand Ambassador in Landmark NIL Partnership
• Nothing But Net: Epsilon First to Offer NIL Deal for all Women's D1 Basketball Tournament Participants
• University Credit Union Announces First-Ever Athletic NIL Opportunity at 2024 Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament
• MSUFCU Launches Women of Sparta

Pickleball

Pickleball has surged in popularity with more facilities popping up across the world. According to SFIA’s 2023 Topline Participation Report, pickleball playing has continued to grow in America, increasing by 85.7% year-over-year and by an astonishing 158.6% over three years.

Here at PR Newswire, nearly 80 releases mentioning pickleball crossed the wire during March and April.

Check out some of the releases that were served up:

• The Picklr Announces 2,760 New Courts in United States as It Looks to Expand Internationally
• "Utah Black Diamonds Pickleball Center" Coming to Utah Summer 2025, Establishing the First-Ever Home Facility for a Professional Pickleball Team
• Life Time Teams up with Ben and Collin Johns, and Pickleball 360, to Deliver Educational Pickleball Video Series
• Pickleball Kingdom Coming to Canada
• Target Serves Up Exclusive Pickleball Collection with Popular Tennis Brand Prince

Looking Ahead

As the basketball season winds down, sports enthusiasts can look forward to the PGA Tour and the Summer Games in Paris. Stay tuned to see how these events influence summer sports trends! 

 

About the Author

Hunter Johnson is a Content Specialist at Cision PR Newswire and has been with the company since 2021. He graduated from the University of Toledo with a degree in Communications. In his spare time, Hunter enjoys watching Real Housewives, online shopping and spending time with family and friends.