FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 16th, 2023
NBC SPORTS AND THE WOMEN’S SPORTS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE FIVE-YEAR PARTNERSHIP EXTENSION
The Women’s Sports Foundation – founded by Billie Jean King – and NBC Sports expand their longtime partnership, bolstering access and opportunity for women in sport on the heels of Title IX’s 50th anniversary
Partnership to incorporate content creation, marketing, mentorship and community outreach in support of the Women’s Sports Foundation and its most critical initiatives
New York, NY (March 16, 2023) — NBC Sports and the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) announced today the extension of their long-standing partnership, which will be expanded on the heels of last year’s milestone – Title IX’s 50th anniversary. WSF, founded by Billie Jean King, and NBC Sports will provide tools and resources to inspire girls and women in sport so they can reach their full potential in sport and life. The five-year commitment incorporates elements of content creation, marketing, mentorship, and community outreach, and will involve multiple divisions within NBC Sports that will heighten their focus on WSF and the issues that impact women athletes on and off the field of play.
“Relationships are everything and having a multi-faceted partnership with a media powerhouse like NBC Sports is vital as we work towards gender equity on and off the field of play,” said Billie Jean King. “The renewal of our partnership with NBC Sports, and their continued support of the Women’s Sports Foundation, allows us to reach wider and advocate stronger for every girl and woman through the power of sport.”
“Our work at the Women’s Sports Foundation would not be possible without collaborative partnerships, and we are grateful to have NBC Sports working alongside us for another five years. NBC Sports has best-in-class resources in content creation, marketing and promotion, and we are thrilled that they have agreed to use their platforms in support of our important mission and initiatives,” said WSF CEO Danette Leighton. “Together, we will invest in the untapped potential of women in sports, while giving them the tools they need to be successful in all aspects of life.”
“NBC Sports is thrilled to extend our partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation and build upon the success we have achieved together thus far. It is gratifying to see our collaboration expand to encompass so many areas within NBC Sports, such as On Her Turf and SportsEngine, and we’re excited to get to work,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports.
The extended partnership between WSF and NBC Sports has many diverse components. For example, the parties will explore the creation of a content partnership between WSF and On Her Turf, NBC Sports’ multi-platform women’s empowerment brand focused on the athletes and issues surrounding women’s sports, including the integration of WSF messaging and initiatives into On Her Turf “content pillars” several times each year.
In addition, in light of NBC’s new partnership with the Big Ten Conference and its preexisting relationships with the University of Notre Dame and HBCU institutions, the parties will seek to work together on college campuses throughout the country, including the creation of career-focused panels for women student-athletes, focus on the expansion of NBC Sports’ NIL platform, promotion of On Her Turf Campus Ambassador programs, and incorporation of WSF’s Athlete Leadership Connection.
The partnership will also explore ways to integrate resources from WSF’s We Play Interactive®, a first-of-its kind digital resource for coaches, program leaders and mentors of girl-serving sports programs, into the distribution channels of NBC Sports Next’s industry-leading youth sports and team management technology platform SportsEngine. In addition, NBC Sports Next will amplify WSF-related content developed in conjunction with NBC Sports and On Her Turf.
To build further awareness of WSF and to promote the partnership on a national scale, NBC Sports will fulfill some of the WSF’s English- and Spanish-language creative needs related to WSF’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports and Sportswoman of the Year awards, as well as in recognition of an upcoming series of milestones.
The parties will continue to undertake their impactful Student-Athlete Mentoring Program, which launched in the fall of 2019. To date, the program, designed to help women NCAA student-athletes translate the valuable skills they have acquired through their collegiate sport participation into successful careers off the field of play, has enlisted 72 student-athletes in 19 sports, across 29 universities.
Finally, as part of the renewed partnership, NBC Sports will work with WSF on potential opportunities for NBC Sports employees to volunteer their time in support of WSF’s community partners in key NBC Sports locations, including Stamford, CT, Minneapolis, MN, and Orlando, FL.
–NBC SPORTS–
