By HANK WINNICKI
The growth and popularity of women’s sports was the main topic of discussion at the 2024 APSE Commissioners Meetings on May 6 and 7 in New York.
Twenty one editors from 15 outlets made their way through the streets of Manhattan, making stops at the offices of Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association.
The group made its first visit to the Madison Avenue office of the National Women’s Soccer League, which was participating for a third consecutive year. The Professional Women’s Hockey League, a six-team league that began play this year, made its debut at the meetings.
“I always get so much from meeting with the leaders of the leagues we cover,” APSE president Naila-Jean Meyers of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune said. “I get even more from spending time with my fellow APSE members and hearing about the issues they are dealing with in their day-to-day jobs.”
The main purpose of the meetings is to engage the leagues in discussions about media access issues and industry challenges, talks that are off the record. The discussions also included a range of on-the-record subjects.
“As a first-timer at the APSE commissioners meetings, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect,” said Katie McInerney of the Boston Globe. “It was so insightful to hear directly from league leaders about how and where they’re reaching fans. I left with a head full of story ideas, feeling ready to find ways to reach readers and give them the best possible sports coverage. It was well worth the time and effort to attend — and fun, too!”
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert talked about the league’s spike in popularity, especially with star players such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese entering the league.
Engelbert also broke the news that the league would be providing full-time charter flight service for its teams this season.
The 12-team WNBA plans to expand to 16 by 2028. The Bay Area team has already been announced, and the league expects to make announcements on teams 14 and 15 this year, Engelbert said.
Where will the 16th team play? “There are up to 10 cities fighting for that last spot,” Engelbert said.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said the success of Clark and others has helped prove that women’s sports is every bit as competitive as the men’s games.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” Berman said.
Berman said she sees no reason why the 14-team NWSL couldn’t grow to have the same number of teams as the men’s professional leagues, adding that local media coverage is important to every league’s growth.
“There’s incredible interest from qualified owners who want to be a part of our league,” Berman said.
Ilana Kloss, a former professional tennis player who is on the PWHL’s Advisory Board, said women’s sports has reached “a tipping point” of success.
Amy Scheer, the senior VP of business operations for the PWHL, said the attention is long overdue and added that a lot of people have known for years what many fans are learning now.
“This is not a moment,” Scheer said. “It’s a movement.”
Other highlights from around the leagues:
- Legalized sports betting was another popular topic. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the investigation into Shohei Othani’s former interpreter, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver talked about the league’s recent decision to ban Jontay Porter for life. The leagues talked about programs in place to educate players and maintain control over the legalized gambling. Prop bets, Silver said, “lend themselves to more shenanigans than other kind of bets.”
- Manfred said the June 20 game between the Cardinals and Giants at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., — the oldest professional ballpark in the country — is “an opportunity to pay tribute to the Negro Leagues, and I think the ballpark itself is going to really surprise people.”
- MLS commissioner Don Garber talked about the MLS’s global reach as well as the impact of Inter Miami CF star Lionel Messi on the league.
- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman expressed his support for the PWHL, saying, “The more hockey, the better. I’m thrilled that there’s a women’s league that is of a caliber that people can look up to and respect. They’re off to a phenomenal start.”
