The philosophy behind our league partnerships

1. The importance of league partnerships

Just Women's Sports is now an official Emerging Media Partner of the WNBA (Forbes). That makes us the only women's sports media brand with official media partnerships with both the WNBA and the NWSL.

This is a big deal, not just for us, but for the entire women’s sports space.

I’ve spoken at length about why women’s sports need their own media ecosystem. In short: you can’t build a sustainable future for women’s sports on platforms whose incentives are elsewhere. For this space to reach its potential, it needs media outlets that put women’s sports first, rather than always slotting them around men’s sports.

Highlights are critical to growing this space, which is why we’re thrilled to now be sharing both WNBA and NWSL highlights on our feeds. Highlights showcase to the casual fan the skills, athleticism, and competitive thrills that define women’s sports.

On men’s sports platforms, a women’s sports highlight is surrounded by NBA, NFL and MLB coverage. But when a WNBA or NWSL highlight lives on a JWS feed, it’s surrounded by women’s sports content and context: the athletes, storylines and moments that help situate a moment within the larger narrative.

There is no better top-of-funnel marketing than a scroll-stopping highlight. But you need the surrounding coverage to actually turn a viewer into a follower, and a follower into a fan.

That comprehensive context and storytelling function is what we’ve spent years building and honing as the largest digital media platform in women’s sports. And because women’s sports is all we do, we’re able to go deeper than the 1-2 token storylines that pop up elsewhere. By partnering with us, the WNBA and NWSL get not only reach but conversion, as their highlights become access to the broader women’s sports world.

We built JWS on the belief that the future of women’s sports isn’t going to be built on borrowed time in men's sports media. It's going to be built by platforms that are fully committed to it, from the ground up, and not assembled from leftovers.

Fans need to see these leagues where they see everything else: on their social media feeds, every single day. And these leagues need partners who don’t just share the one-off highlight, but use each as an invitation to ever-deepening fandom.

Unlike other platforms, our spotlight never turns off. It’s women’s sports, every hour, every day. We share the must-know stories and platform the must-hear voices. And now, we’re sharing your favorite NWSL and WNBA highlights, as well.

2. ICYMI

In May, we announced a strategic fundraising round led by David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures and composed entirely of previous JWS investors. You can read more about it in Sports Business Journal.

2026 is shaping up to be the most consequential year in women’s sports, and I’m grateful to have partners who see the opportunity and understand that the vast majority of growth is still ahead of us.

3. What I’m tracking

• The PWHL recently wrapped their third season, and they may have perfected the playbook for early-stage leagues. Attendance is up 28%, YouTube viewership is up 77%. They’ve built local fanbases while also touring neutral markets, building connections both online and in person. They’re also prioritizing transparency, releasing the salaries for all eight teams.

• Female athletes now account for 75% of brand deals tracked on OpenSponsorship's platform, with average deal sizes doubling year-over-year. Athletes also continue to drive twice the engagement of traditional influencers.

4. Looking ahead

NWSL Challenge Cup: We’ll be onsite in Columbus with a special trivia night presented by Ally. Come hang! 

Best,

Haley

PS: Our 2026 Pride Collection is live! Check it out here.