Pickleball, Going “Green” and More Sports News Trends

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

 

Sports News Trends, September-October 2023

 

By Katie Nuttall | Published Nov. 3, 2023

 

Autumn is one of the most important times of the year for sports fans. With the return of football, hockey, and basketball, plus the baseball season wrapping up, it can be a very busy period. Here at PR Newswire, we’ve been sorting through and tracking the most relevant sports industry news over the past two months.

Throughout September and October, we noticed releases focusing on pickleball and its growing popularity. Another trend we’ve been tracking the sports industry going “green.” Additionally, we noticed many stories tied to women’s sports.

Overall, PR Newswire distributed more than 1,000 releases covering sports news during the past two months!

Let’s take a closer look at some noteworthy releases we’ve seen across the consumer wire in September and October.

Some of the Most Popular Sports Releases

 

 

Sports News Trends

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

Pickleball

Although pickleball has grown exponentially in popularity over the last few years, it was actually invented back in 1965. Despite the sport’s recent rise to fame, many are still not sure what it’s all about. According to PickleballCentral, pickleball combines the best elements of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton, creating a unique blend of strategic gameplay, physical endurance, and sheer fun that captivates players of all ages!

During September and October nearly 80 releases were distributed that mentioned “pickleball”!

Below are some examples:

Going “Green”

Across industries, we’ve seen a focus on ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues and the sports industry is no exception. According to the Green Sports Alliance, the majority of sport’s carbon footprint is produced by major global sporting events. More specifically, it's produced by the requirement for and management of travel and accommodation, food and beverage provision, and supportive infrastructure. Teams and stadiums can implement changes to make the industry more sustainable and influence fans to do their part.

We’ve seen plenty of sports industry releases mentioning sustainability over the past two months, including:

Women’s Sports

Historically, men’s sports have been more widely covered than women’s sports, but this year, women’s sports viewership is on the rise according to Nielsen. The 2023 NCAA women's basketball tournament drew nearly 10 million viewers for the final game between Iowa and LSU — up 103% from the previous year. And 41% of the global population were excited for the Women’s World Cup, rising from 34% before the 2019 tournament.

Here at PR Newswire, we have also noticed an increase in the number of releases about women’s sports. We saw more than 150 sports industry releases mention “women” during the months of September and October.

Check out some examples:

Looking Ahead

It has been a busy couple of months in sports industry news! We look forward to even more NFL, NBA, and NHL news now that their seasons are underway. We anticipate even more coverage of environmentally-friendly practices, pickleball, and women’s sports related news.

Stay tuned for our next recap!

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About the Author

Katie Nuttall headshotKatie Nuttall is a Senior Content Specialist at Cision PR Newswire and has been with the company since 2018. She graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in Communications. When she's off the clock, Katie enjoys reading, yoga, walking her dog Harry, and traveling.