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The GIST: Talk about raising more questions than answers. Following Tuesday’s shocking merger between the PGA and LIV Golf, sponsors and broadcasters now face a conundrum around staying involved in men’s golf — and normalizing sportswashing in the process.

The cons: Two PGA sponsors were reportedly “very hurt” by the news, and all tour partners will have to figure out whether or not they need to rework their current deals. Brands must determine if it’s worth the price for their logos to appear alongside the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund that backs LIV.

• Plus, companies interested in new contracts will likely face higher fees as the merged tours will now be “the only game in town” for men’s golf (as we covered in yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It).

The pros: Some experts believe that increased attention around the PGA and LIV will draw more golf viewership, regardless of the controversy. In that case, sponsors might discover additional value and marketing opportunities associated with the tour. Yikes.

The aftermath: Sponsors aren’t the only ones with questions. PGA and LIV leaders are still clashing on how the commercial venture will be positioned, and a new bill could complicate matters — California Representative John Garamendi introduced legislation on Wednesday that would revoke the PGA’s tax-exempt status.

The impact: If the PGA–LIV merger goes through and partners remain on board, it might signal a green light for sovereign wealth funds to enter the U.S. sports landscape. The LPGA seems up for grabs, while other American leagues appear to have a friendly outlook on PIF–style investment.

• MLS’ New York City FC is owned by Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the United Arab Emirates’ royal family, while the NBA approved investment from sovereign wealth funds last year.

• And on Wednesday, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league would consider playing a game in Saudi Arabia if players were on board, though it wouldn’t be her first choice destination. Read the room.

The GIST: The Big 12 is heading to the U.S.’ favorite WFH destination. Yesterday, it launched Big 12 Mexico, which will see the college sports conference host several exhibition games in the country and become the first of its NCAA counterparts to build a presence outside of the States.

The details: Big 12 Mexico tips off in December 2024 with a set of women’s and men’s basketball games in Mexico City, while baseball, football, and women’s soccer are also in the cards. The conference will also launch an influencer marketing campaign to promote itself in the country.

• ESPN and Fox will air Big 12 football and basketball in Mexico during the 2023–24 season to gauge local interest, and the conference is also teasing the idea of Spanish-language broadcasts for their championships. Bilingual love.

The context: Mexico is no stranger to American sports — the NFL, NBA, and MLB have all hosted games there — but joins a long list of new international hosts for college sports. NCAA basketball players spent Thanksgiving in the Bahamas, football will make a pitstop in Ireland in August, and women’s hoops will rendezvous in Paris this November.

• Big 12 Mexico, though, goes further than just hosting exhibition matches. The conference has identified the country as a long-term business destination with broadcast and marketing strategies.

Zooming out: A global presence allows the Big 12 to add new revenue streams, like sponsorships and an international broadcast deal. The conference will also be able to capitalize on the global rise of women’s sports, especially women’s soccer — Mexico is emerging as a hotbed for the sport. ¡Golazo!

The GIST: In honor of Pride, The GIST teamed up with MegEmikoArt, a trans activist and artist, to create a “Protect Trans Athletes” line, with 50% of profits being donated to the The GenderCool Project.

The why: Under the guise of “protecting women’s sports,” anti-trans policies and proposals aiming to ban trans youth from sports are developing at all levels of the U.S. government. Relegating trans and intersex youth to the sidelines keeps them from experiencing the many benefits playing sports has to offer to children and teens.

The response: A whole roster of athletes have spoken out against bans on trans athletes, including USWNT stars Becky Sauerbrunn and Megan Rapinoe, as well as WNBA icon and Rapinoe’s fiancé Sue Bird, and former USA softball star Jessica Mendoza.

How you can help: Learn more here and proudly rock a “Protect Trans Athletes” tee or tote.

FIFA announced Wednesday that over half of the $110M prize pool for July’s Women’s World Cup (WWC) is guaranteed to go to the players. The new mandate provides a safeguard for teams that don’t have a pre-existing prize money agreement with their federations.

Serena and Venus Williams — plus Serena’s husband Alexis Ohanian and daughter Olympia — launched the first team in TGL, Tiger Woods’ and Rory McIlroy’s virtual golf league. The Los Angeles Golf Club will begin play in January at a custom-made venue in Palm Beach, Florida. A family affair.

Yesterday, DAZN acquired international rights to the Frauen-Bundesliga, Germany’s top women’s soccer league. The streamer will hold the exclusive rights in Canada, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Brazil and non-exclusive rights in parts of Europe.

• The move comes as DAZN begins to expand its women’s soccer footprint in Germany through a free, ad-supported television channel in the country, and on the heels of Google’s sizable investment in the German women’s game.

Financial solutions company Apex partnered with SailGP on a deal centered around gender equity in the sailing league and beyond. Apex will launch a women’s accelerator program as part of the initiative, which aims to boost equity for women in male-dominated spaces. Knot too shabby.

⚽ Budweiser renewed its deal with FIFA and will sponsor the WWC, despite being booted from last November’s men’s World Cup in Qatar. Beer under the bridge.

🏀 Ally and the Charlotte Sports Foundation will stage the Ally Tipoff, a new NCAA women’s basketball invitational that will feature Iowa and Virginia Tech.

🇨🇦 GE will provide almost $75K in funding to the CanWNT for medical, technical, and cultural innovation as the team preps for the WWC.

🏟️ The NWSL’s Kansas City Current sold out season tickets for 2024, their inaugural year in the first American soccer stadium built specifically for a women’s team.

🏓 Major League Pickleball onboarded Toyota, compression products brand OS1st, clothing company Sunday Swagger, and headwear brand Imperial as sponsors.

👀 The NWSL’s Angel City is on the hunt for a dating app partner to sponsor a “single’s section” at the team’s home matches. Now put your hands up.

💰 North Carolina lawmakers passed a sports and horse-race betting bill.