Welcome back, y’all. If you thought last week was big, the past 7 days saw the WNBA Draft (with a whole lot of brands getting in on the action), LeBron’s Barbie “Kenbassador” launch and almost instant sell-out, and a dramatic sudden-death Masters win by Rory Mcllroy. Clearly, there’s no shortage of excitement happening around the leagues.
Of course, there’s plenty to talk about on the social impact side of the game, too. In today’s WIN | WIN Wednesday newsletter, we’ll peel back a few layers on the philanthropic side of LeBron’s Ken-ification, offer a Mic Drop from ESPN around their “Take Back Sports” initiative, share four education-based impact stories from our Download Desk, and get to know W|W’s Chief Brand Officer, Amy Small, in the latest video from our “Meet the Team” series.
Between all the story gathering, we’ve also been tinkering with a few refreshes for Beyond the Scoreboard, our somewhat-daily YouTube show. Don’t worry, our recap shorts aren’t going anywhere. But for the longer episodes, we’re getting our hands a little dirtier by digging into some industry insider convos, and maybe even sparking a friendly debate or two between Cody and Amy. That’s all we can say for now — you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out more.
In the meantime, go grab another cup of coffee and enjoy this week’s roundup.
WIN OF THE WEEK
Image source: Mattel
LeBron Becomes Barbie's First 'Kenbassador' In Support of His Foundation
Yes, we stayed up until midnight to get our hands on the limited edition LeBron James Ken doll, which sold out a Target in about four minutes flat. As the first male athlete to become Ken-ified by Barbie, LeBron’s DIL (Doll, Image, Likeness) isn’t just immortalizing his influence on the court, but also raising awareness about his philanthropic work in his hometown of Akron, OH.
ESPN's "Take Back Sports" Hopes to Boost Youth Sports Participation
“It’s time to take back youth sports from a system that has prioritized profit over well-being…we need to shift the focus back to what matters — making sports accessible, enjoyable and rewarding for all kids.”
This Week’s Spotlight: Education
In honor of all the female student-athletes who made the leap from college hoops to the W on Monday night, we’re highlighting stories that advocate for, advance, or amplify social impact through education.
Meet the WIN | WIN Team
Amy Small, W|W’s Chief Brand Officer, talks about her multi-hyphenate career, playing youth hockey in the 90s in South Florida, and why now is the perfect cultural moment to rewrite the playbook for sports and social impact.
What Else We’re Following
We came across an interesting podcast featuring Travis Murphy that highlighted the challenges facing the sports industry because of the current immigration and visa policies of the U.S. government. This could have far reaching impacts for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 LA Olympics. With so much social impact connected to these large scale sporting events, we’ll be keeping a close eye on how organizers adapt.
Conference season is upon us. While we’d love some tickets to the World Congress of Sport down in Nashville this year, we can’t see ourselves dropping $2k on a ticket. Instead, we’re looking forward to the Big Apple and the Clio Sports Marketing Summit at Citi Field in May. Early-bird tickets are $149 through 4/25. 🍎
If you’re building a venture in the sports world, then we have one recommendation - join Profluence Sports. No really. Stop whatever you’re doing and join. This is the best community for entrepreneurs in the space. Authentic conversations, helpful workshops, and we might have even found a few of our advisers and partners there. If you join, drop Cody a line. He’s nice after his first cup of coffee. 🫱🏼🫲🏾
Become a WIN | WIN Guest Contributor
If you’re passionate about making a difference, AND have a story to tell about the power of sports to create positive social change, we want to amplify your voice — and your impact — by sharing your story.
Got breaking news at the intersection of sports and social impact? Share it with us first for access to our dedicated audience of insiders.
