Athlete Strategies

Another exciting announcement for EDGE Sound Research: we are one of eight AI companies selected for the Fall 2024 Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs cohort. Learning, working, and building alongside leaders at Comcast NBCUniversal will help bolster our multimodal research and bring us one step closer to developing audio intelligence. It’s been a fun (and intense) 5 years of building an end-to-end audio infrastructure to enable computers to perceive and understand the world through sound, and we are thrilled to continue expanding it in the entertainment world and beyond. #ai #audiotechnology #entertainment

Here are some insights weve gathered from investing across the women’s healthcare landscape at Muse Capital , and while advising and investing in sports assets throughout my career. I covered some of this in my Sports Business Journal op-ed “Want to see womens sports flourish? Invest in womens health”: https://lnkd.in/g6aH7J4d 🔹 Hormonal fluctuations impact performance, injury risk, and recovery. Female athletes are more prone to ACL injuries during the luteal phase (the second half of their cycle), making it critical to tailor high-intensity training earlier in the cycle. Continuous hormone testing with our portfolio company Eli Health is an invaluable tool for tracking and managing these changes. 🔹 Women are 2-8 times more likely to suffer ACL injuries than men. Estrogen contributes to ligament laxity, increasing risk—prevention protocols and neuromuscular training are key here. 🔹 Women recover faster from endurance exercises and fatigue more slowly during submaximal efforts, which is why they excel in ultra-endurance events. 🔹 Stress Fractures and the Female Athlete Triad" affect 1 in 3 female athletes. Nutrition and hormonal balance are vital to bone health. 🔹 Women’s bodies rely more on fat for energy, especially in endurance sports—a significant advantage. 🔹 Nearly 60% of female athletes face mental health challenges. Targeted support systems are crucial for their well-being. These findings offer valuable lessons for all women: 🔸 Understand when you're more prone to injury and adjust your fitness routines accordingly. 🔸 Prioritize protein and healthy fats for muscle recovery and hormone regulation. 🔸 Sync rest, recovery, and mental health strategies with your hormonal cycle. 🔸 Maintain strong bones with calcium, strength training, and vitamin D. The science of women's sports holds key insights for healthier, stronger lives for all women. Let's keep pushing for more research and innovation! Want to learn more about this topic? Don’t miss our latest Muse Capital podcast with Dawn Scott (Director of Medical at Washington Spirit ) for more: https://lnkd.in/gfgp7fyY #WomensHealth #WomensSports #AthleteWellness #HormoneHealth #MentalHealth #Museworthy

These Olympic medalists know all about the power of mindset, goal setting, and resilience! Get your day right with tips and stories from Angela Ruggiero, Missy Franklin, Ashton Eaton, OLY and Kate Johnson, OLY in a new episode of "Talks at Google." Watch on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gGhCaYGG

🏈📱 How does streaming bring sports leagues closer to fans? The Current's Travis Clark spoke with Sports Innovation Lab CEO Josh Walker to find out. Among Josh's takeaways: "What you’re going to see is 15 different ways to watch a game: The in-depth sports-betting view with data everywhere; the shopping view; the co-view; the kids view; you’re going to have all these alt-streams. And if you don’t want any of that, you’ll be able to turn it off. But that’s what we’re talking about here: ultimate personalization.” #LinkedInSports #SportsBiz https://lnkd.in/eNr893bW

Sports Innovation Lab found that for 66% of WNBA teams, the top Google searches included how to find tickets or watch the game. This lack of accessibility results in a perceived lack of interest, which then turns into a systemic lack of funding and coverage. Thanks to Minnesota Reformer for the shoutout in their latest article, “Minnesota Women’s Sports Fans Can Finally See Their Teams, & They’re Loving It!” Proud to see our data changing the game and informing investment in this explosive space!!!⚽🏀🏒 🔗Read the full article here: https://hubs.la/Q02Kvw9f0 🌟Authors: Rachel Blood, Taylor Fruetel, & Taylor Hanson

🥂🏀BIG W Brunch at WNBA All-Star Weekend🏀🥂 Sports Innovation Lab’s Women's Sports Club was proud to team up with Business Inside the Game (BIG) to host a brunch during the 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. Industry experts joined us to discuss the already-tremendous growth in women’s sports, how to keep this momentum going, and how brands can take advantage of this explosion in the market by amplifying athlete stories. 👀📈🔥Watch this video to get a sneak into this incredible event… & be sure to join Sports Innovation Lab’s Women’s Sports Club to come to the next one: https://lnkd.in/geaBX2QA

Can "niche" Olympic sports turn viewership into sponsorship? Marketing Brew's Alyssa Meyers spoke with USA Artistic Swimming star Anita Kay A. to find out. https://lnkd.in/e3C2-ekS

This week marks three years since college athletes have been allowed to benefit from their #NIL rights. Despite the time that's passed, a lack of resources and education for college athletes navigating NIL deals remains. 10+ year financial advisor Gregory J. Sullivan, CFA®, CAIA® joined Episode 68 of the the Ruling Sports Podcast to share important NIL financial insights and money management tips for athletes. If you know a high school, college or professional athlete, this is an episode to share with them! Get the Ruling Sports Podcast for free wherever you listen to podcasts!

More than 60% of those who intended to buy merch couldn’t because it was “out of stock,” 79% reported they would buy more women’s sports merch if there were more options, and 28% admitted they couldn’t find a style they liked. 😐 • For more on the latest viewership trends in the women's game, sign up for our free, 3x-weekly sports biz newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eFMEdXx4 • The gender gap in sports viewership and valuations may be closing, but there’s one area of the women’s sports ecosystem where supply is far behind demand: merchandise. On Wednesday, payment network Klarna and fan intelligence company Sports Innovation Lab (SIL) estimated the value of the women’s sports merch market at $4B. We’re going shopping. • • The report surveyed 1K sports fans across seven countries and analyzed purchasing habits of more than 50M U.S. consumers using Klarna data to identify key trends in women’s sports merch purchases.  • Purchases are often curbed because women’s sports fans can’t find what they’re looking for. To further put things into perspective, there’s an overall 9:1 ratio between men’s and women’s sports merch offerings. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has 9x more merch options than the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association), while the MLS National Sales Center has 6x more than the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).  • The data proves the demand exists, and the merch world is only just moving to meet it. In March, Amazon signed an expansive deal to sell NWSL merchandise through its Amazon Fan Shop, while DICK'S Sporting Goods has made girls’ WNBA and Caitlin Clark apparel ubiquitous.  • Women’s sports media platform Togethxr has been in the women’s sports merch game from the jump, and it’s already paid off with viral celeb-backed marketing campaigns. In conjunction with this report, Klarna and SIL teamed up with the brand and soccer legend Ali Krieger to launch limited-edition merch.  • Krieger told The GIST last week that she experienced issues finding merch firsthand during the 2016 Rio Olympics when she tried to order the Olympic jersey of WNBA legend (and dear friend) Sue Bird. While Krieger did eventually get her threads, it was only with a little help from Bird herself. Friends in high places, huh?  • The takeaway: Klarna, SIL, Togethxr, and Krieger are all using their unique superpowers to help bring attention to the merch gap. Klarna leveraged its consumer payment data, SIL built on its fan research background, and Togethxr used its merch experience to drive the convo forward, while Krieger lent her voice as a thriving broadcaster to get the message out.  • Friendly reminder that our pals TOGETHXR, GOALS | Women’s #SportsBiz, (and us!) all have amazing merch available for women's sports fans! • #womenssports #sportsbiz #womeninsports