Malindi Minute: Trinity Rodman, Adidas, and Podcasts

Happy Sunday! Whether you're a new subscriber or an existing subscriber, welcome back. Here are a few articles you should check out from this week!

Women’s sports have suffered from the popularity not matching the salaries. As the popularity increases, compensation is also supposed to increase, or the freedom for the teams to sign their players to lucrative deals should be available. Trinity Rodman is one of the best American soccer players in the country. Due to her performance on the field, and also partly due to her popularity off the field, she was offered a multi-million dollar deal by the Washington Spirit. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) rejected the deal and said that it violates the “spirit” of its rules. The National Women’s Players Association (NWSLPA) said the deal was fine on paper and compliant with all the rules. This week, they formally filed a grievance against the league to fight the vetoed deal. Rodman is currently a free agent, and if this doesn’t work out, the NWSL runs the risk of losing her to Europe or another league, which will be a huge blow to the league if they lose one of their brightest stars.

Adidas is moving in an uncharted direction. This week, they signed Club 520 Podcast to a sneaker and apparel deal. This is the first partnership of its kind for a podcast. Adidas is no stranger to teaming up with non-athletes. They’ve had major runs with several celebrities including Pharrell, Kanye West, and Bad Bunny. But this is different. This isn’t a musician or a celebrity. It’s a podcast. Club 520 is led by former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague, alongside DJ Wells and B-Hen. In just a short time, the show has become one of the strongest sports podcasts out, building a large, loyal audience off personality, storytelling, and culture. And in a landscape crowded with podcasts fighting for attention and brands fighting to reach consumers, this move stands out. It raises a bigger question: will other brands follow with deals that treat podcasts like the new cultural powerhouses? What’s clear is that this marks a shift. The creator economy is evolving, and podcasts aren’t just media anymore. According to Goldman Sachs, revenue for the creator economy is projected to reach $500 billion by 2027. This means both creators and brand will see unprecedeneted revenue both from deals and sales. Adidas making this move is the first step of many. Podcasts' influence, community, and distribution will be paramount in the growth of the creator economy. And Adidas just doubled down on that future.

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Conversations this week

Danny Brown has a conversation with the New York Times.

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Song of the Week: “Deeper” by Discloser, Leon Thomas (U.K. & U.S.A.)

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