Inside Women’s Sports: Jane McManus on Money, Media And the WNBA episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 25, 2025 · 52 MIN

Inside Women’s Sports: Jane McManus on Money, Media And the WNBA

from Sportly · host Immigrantly Media

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Hyphenly; it's our no-fluff love letter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes! Link below https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com Women’s sports aren’t a “niche” anymore, they’re a booming business. In this episode of Sportly, Kavitha Davidson talks with Jane McManus, a longtime journalist, ESPN alum, and director of Marist College’s Center for Sports Communication, about her new book The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women’s Sports. McManus has seen it all, from covering the New York Jets at the Daily News to teaching the next generation of reporters at Columbia University. She breaks down how the WNBA and women’s soccer went from second-thought coverage to record valuations (the Seattle Reign recently sold for $500 million), why Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese represent more than just on-court talent, and how fans, especially Gen Z, are reshaping the economics of the game. They also dive into the tension between journalism and cheerleading in covering women’s sports, the WNBA’s ongoing collective bargaining fight, and why Venus Williams still redefines what’s possible at 44. If you want to understand the money, media, and momentum behind women’s sports today, this conversation is the perfect playbook. Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Content Writers: Kavitha Davidson I Fact Checking: Joseph Ruelas I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele Join us as we create new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Remember to subscribe to our Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts.  You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly  IG @immigrantlypods Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Hyphenly; it's our no-fluff love letter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes! Link below https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com Women’s sports aren’t a “niche” anymore, they’re a booming business. In this episode of Sportly, Kavitha Davidson talks with Jane McManus, a longtime journalist, ESPN alum, and director of Marist College’s Center for Sports Communication, about her new book The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women’s Sports. McManus has seen it all, from covering the New York Jets at the Daily News to teaching the next generation of reporters at Columbia University. She breaks down how the WNBA and women’s soccer went from second-thought coverage to record valuations (the Seattle Reign recently sold for $500 million), why Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese represent more than just on-court talent, and how fans, especially Gen Z, are reshaping the economics of the game. They also dive into the tension between journalism and cheerleading in covering women’s sports, the WNBA’s ongoing collective bargaining fight, and why Venus Williams still redefines what’s possible at 44. If you want to understand the money, media, and momentum behind women’s sports today, this conversation is the perfect playbook. Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Content Writers: Kavitha Davidson I Fact Checking: Joseph Ruelas I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele Join us as we create new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can get more information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Remember to subscribe to our Apple podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts.  You can reach the host, Kavitha, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly  IG @immigrantlypods Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NOW PLAYING

Inside Women’s Sports: Jane McManus on Money, Media And the WNBA

0:00 52:01

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Sportly?

This episode is 52 minutes long.

When was this Sportly episode published?

This episode was published on August 25, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Hyphenly; it's our no-fluff love letter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes! Link...

Can I download this Sportly episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!