RWMC Current EventsWeek of 10/26

Event 1

The Sports Business Journal reported on October 23 that the Indiana Fever had the highest social brand value by far for any WNBA team during the 2026 regular season. In addition to that, only four North American sports teams regardless of league had a higher brand value than the Fever during that span. This shows that women’s sports can be a draw when marketed correctly. To add to that this shows the importance of having a consistent brand presence on social media. Promotion is an important part of business. 

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. MN Lynx vs Indiana Fever, on July 14th, 2024 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota (photo credit John McClellan)

Event 2

On October 23, the University of Texas-Austin announced the launch of Bevo Lab which is a partnership between the university athletics department, the McCombs School of Business and Dell Technologies. This program is designed to improve performance through analytics and AI according to the press release. All 21 of the university's sports teams will have access to this program.This is a first of its kind model in collegiate athletics that could shift the industry towards increased technological use in sports. 

Event 3

The looming MLB lockout could create a domino effect for college athletics because of proposed changes to the draft as part of negotiations. As the CBA expiration date of December 1, 2026 nears a lockout is extremely likely. MLB has proposed shortening the draft and putting more emphasis on college baseball. Currently players can be drafted out of high school, but that could change if owners get their way in CBA negotiations with the MLBPA. This would lead to increased resources and attention towards college baseball. 

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.  MLB COO Rob Manfred speaks during a press conference at FanFest. Arturo Pardavila III.