The USNWST Is Ready For Their Third Straight Title
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The Rise of Pickleball
It seems almost impossible to get very far into the sports news media stream without seeing at least one reference to pickleball, so we dove into some data at our most recent #MostInnovative Innovation Briefing to see what facts we could dig up about the nation’s fastest-growing sport. Together with Thomas Shields, founder of Upswing Sports and The Dink, we unpacked this unique fanbase and future trajectory of the sport, seeking to answer the question “are people really going to watch this sport?”
Here’s what the data says:
Data has highlighted annual exponential growth in the number of USA Pickleball memberships increasing from 22K in 2017 to 70K in 2023, exemplifying how participation has powered growth.
Only 14% of our pickleball fan community are also general sports fans, which is vastly different from many other communities.
Since 2019, there has been a growth rate of 70% annually, exhibiting how the pandemic acted as an accelerant, but not the only catalyst for this growth.
Learn more at mostinnovative.com and watch the recap video on our LinkedIn!
The 32nd FIFA Women's World Cup Kicks Off In Australia
The 32nd FIFA Women’s World Cup began Thursday July 20th. This year’s tournament is taking place in both Australia and New Zealand, which will make it the first ever co-hosted Women’s World Cup. The final game is scheduled for August 20th in Sydney, Australia at Accor Stadium.
The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) will play their second game today, July 26th, against the Netherlands at 9pm ET. This might be ringing in some deja-vu from the 2019 Women’s World Cup Finals, where the U.S. beat the Netherlands with a 2-0 score. Leading to the U.S. securing their title as champions. The U.S. is still the top ranked team in the world, and this year their goal is to lock-in their third straight World Cup title. Megan Rapinoe has also announced that she will be retiring after this NWSL season, and we don’t think anyone wants to bet against her determination for her last title. Hopefully Rapinoe will be walking off the field victorious.
We are only in the group stage of the tournament, which is scheduled to come to a close on August 3rd. Round of 16 is set to take place August 5-8th, with the quarterfinals following from August 10-12th and semi-finals on August 15-16th. As mentioned, the final game will be on August 20th, with the match for 3rd place on August 19th.
This is a tournament you don’t want to miss, with eight teams making their first World Cup appearance: Vietnam, Ireland, Zambia, Haiti, Morocco, the Philippines, Portugal, and Panama. You can stream the Women’s World Cup on SlingTV, FuboTV, and PeacockTV. Sling and Fubo will be streaming the games in English, while Peacock will stream in Spanish.
Speaking of soccer, we also released a report with Jung von Matt SPORTS called FANARCHY26, which is the world’s first and biggest data report on U.S. soccer. Learn about how to unlock the potential of the growing U.S. soccer market and how brands, businesses, and clubs can succeed leading up to the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Learn more at fanarchy26.com!
If you're ready to create breakthrough fan experiences and connect with the Fluid Fan through technology, visit our website sportsilab.com or email info@sportsilab.com! Sign up for our Most Innovative Membership by emailing membersonly@sportsilab.com or visiting mostinnovative.com!