Episode 15 | Deloitte $3B Report, WNBA Draft, USWNT vs. Japan, PWHL Playoff Race

The 2026 WNBA Draft just happened live as we recorded, and women's sports is officially a $3 billion industry. There's a lot to unpack.Azzi Fudd went No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings, reuniting with former UConn teammate Paige Bueckers and picking up a historic $500,000 rookie salary under the new CBA. The draft class was stacked, UCLA made history with six players selected, and free agency has teams looking very different heading into the 30th WNBA season. We break down the winners, the head-scratchers, and what the new CBA era means for the league.For a good chunk of this episode we dive deep into Deloitte's 2026 "Game Changers" report, which projects global women's sports revenue to exceed $3 billion this year, a 340% increase since 2022. We go beyond the headline number and get into what actually got us here: Title IX, the 1999 Women's World Cup, the Wubble, the NCAA weight room moment, Caitlin Clark, the Paris Olympics. And then we talk about what makes women's sports grow differently than men's sports ever did.This week we dig into:The Deloitte Game Changers report: commercial revenue hitting $1.4B, matchday climbing to $911M, broadcast up to $765M, and why the industry has outpaced its own projections every year since 2022The 2026 WNBA Draft and free agency: Azzi Fudd to Dallas, Olivia Miles to Minnesota, Angel Reese to Atlanta, and which teams are building something real vs. quietly implodingUSWNT vs. Japan: Sophia Wilson's return, Rose Lavelle's goal and assist, what we're watching in the back line, and how Emma Hayes is likely to rotate through the three-game seriesPWHL playoff race: three teams chasing one spot, what the Frost game at the double-attack end felt like in person, and why an expansion and broadcast deal announcement feels imminentWhat makes women's sports different: cultural ambassadorship over celebrity, athletes building leagues rather than leagues building stars, and fan experience as identity rather than transactionWe also cover the White House stalling the US's 2031 Women's World Cup bid, SI Swimsuit featuring WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Sophie Cunningham, Sue Bird joining NBC's WNBA desk, and the WNBA formally approving expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.Follow Raising the Game for weekly women's sports coverage.Instagram/Threads/YouTube: @rtg_podWebsite: rtgpod.comSubstack: substack.com/@raisingthegamepodcastEmail: [email protected]