Episode summary
Women's Sports Leagues Battling for Talent | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · 9 min · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Vanessa Perdomo
Summary
The discussion centered on whether women’s soccer, especially the NWSL, can keep rising while competing with European clubs and other leagues for top players. Gotham FC governor and lead owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett argued that the bidding up of talent is a sign of a healthier market, not a crisis, because women’s sports now have more owners, more capital and more competition than in 2023. She said the league’s growth is part of a global shift in which talent will move both ways.
Blodgett said Gotham’s strategy is not simply to spend more, but to give players a competitive advantage through coaching, medical support, mental health resources and performance infrastructure. She argued that stars still matter because they drive casual fandom and viewership, and that Gotham can convert interest in the U.S. women’s national team into support for the club.
The conversation also highlighted how quickly the NWSL’s business has expanded, pointing to Arthur Blank’s $165 million expansion fee in Atlanta as evidence of rising league valuations. Blodgett said the board is focused on sustainable growth, not quick exits, and that her own portfolio is still looking at emerging leagues and youth sports.
Key takeaways
- Blodgett said competition for players from Europe is a natural part of a growing global women’s game, not a sign that the NWSL is weakening.
- She argued Gotham FC competes by investing in coaching, medical care, mental health and performance support rather than simply outbidding rivals.
- Blodgett said stars remain crucial because they drive viewership and can convert U.S. women’s national team fans into Gotham fans.
- The host pointed to Arthur Blank’s $165 million Atlanta expansion fee as evidence of how much the NWSL’s valuations have increased.
- Blodgett said her investing focus remains on emerging leagues, youth sports and grassroots opportunities.
Notable quotes
“I think you'll continue to see that. You'll also see players coming back”
“we're competing for global talent in a global game. This is kind of the natural evolution of this”
“Where can I get better?" I would arguably say Gotham is the best place to go”
“stars drive viewership and stars drive particularly a casual fandom”
“how are we going to grow sustainably, how are we going to reach the next level”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio, news. — You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Tim Stenc on Bloomberg Radio.
All right, we're already talking. We're already going cuz we're excited about this. Um I almost feel like we should just jump in.
Um let's do that. Bloomberg News sports reporter Vanessa Purdomo is with us. She joins us along with Carolyn Tish Blahett.
She is governor and lead owner of Gotham um FC football club, the National Women's Soccer League NWSL team, and she's founder and CEO of Next Three Ventures. It's an investment firm in sports, media, and entertainment. Welcome, welcome, welcome.
I was going to start it off because Vanessa, you and the sports crew, they put out a great story about like trends to watch in 2026, and one of it is kind of labor battles in women's sports. um and talking about it getting messy especially as you see escalating salaries and you see more stars leaving for Europe. So I kind of Caroline want to start that uh with you.
I mean are you concerned about kind of losing players to European teams as we've seen um salaries escalate and welcome and happy and happy right in
Happy new year. Let's dive right in. So I'm a firm believer that rising tides lifts all boats.
Uh we are if you think about where women's sports was when we came in as new owners two years ago they were not being talked about on Bloomberg they were not no one was investing in it and when we came in 99% of investments in sports went to the men's went to men's teams and so uh you're starting to see that shift you know we came in in 2023 there have been several new owners that have come into the National Women's Soccer League that we're in as well as the WNBA and others.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- women's sports talent
- player salaries
- nws l financial health
- sports investment
- european leagues competition
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Next 3
- Gotham FC
- TGL
- Los Angeles Golf Club
- LOVB
- Transmit.Live
- Jackpot.com
Watch the episode
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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