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ICYMI Parity Week by Gainbridge® was nothing short of a women’s sports fan’s dream, and I'm here to spill all the tea on the most unforgettable moments. Picture this: three sporting legends – Billie Jean King, Annika Sorenstam, and Lyn St. James – come together to throw a week-long party celebrating the best in women’s sports. Sounds cool, right?
We kicked off with an empowering conversation at the "Women with Drive III — Driven by Mobil 1" summit in Phoenix, where Lyn St. James made us all want to conquer the world. Simultaneously, we rolled up in Tampa for the ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, where the LPGA Tour's finest showed us how it's done. Mid-week, we jetted to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indy for Parity Night at the Pacers, and to round it all off, we ended up in Seville, Spain at the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge® — think of it as the World Cup, but for women's tennis.
In case you're wondering, yes, there was serious money on the line – 180 women athletes competed for a jaw-dropping $12.85 million in prize money! This is all thanks to Gainbridge's ongoing commitment to women athletes, which sees them investing a remarkable 40% of their sports sponsorship dollars in women's sports. Beyond the dollars and cents, Parity Week gave women athletes from other sports the spotlight and platform they rightly deserve.
So, grab a snack, and let’s dive into the top 10 moments that made this week more than just a series of events – it was a statement, a celebration, and a whole lot of fun with Parity athletes.
1. Shasta Averyhardt putts a 25-footer for Annika Sörenstam.
2. BJK as fired up about parity for women’s sports as ever.
3. Dara Mabrey revving up the crowd at the Fieldhouse.
4. This applause for Alana Casner at the Women with Drive III — Driven by Mobil 1 summit.
5. Parity Athletes teaming up with Habitat for Humanity.
6. This moment during the kids’ clinic at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican with Shelby Rogers, Lois Cook and Aja Evans (second slide).
7. This jersey-swap between Toni Paisley and Jarace Walker.
8. This custom, one-of-a-kind Parity Week helmet that debuted on Parity Locker.
9. When Lisa Leslie stopped by to watch Nelly Korda and Annika play on the ProAm day.
10. Team Canada’s celebration after winning the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge®.
Bonus: Parity athlete Alison Lee took second place at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
Did Parity Week inspire any marketing ideas for you? Learn more about what we do here or request a consultation with our team of women's sports activation experts here.
About Parity
Minority-founded in 2020, Parity's mission is to close the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports. By developing high-impact collaborations between brands, professional women athletes and their fans, Parity has proudly put more than $2 million in the pockets of women athletes, attracting dozens of brands to the movement in the process. The platform offers connections to more than 950 women athletes from 70+ sports, including well over 200 Olympians and Paralympians. For more information on how to tap into the rapidly rising influence and popularity of women athletes, visit https://paritynow.co or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Threads.
