The 2021 NWSL season, which begins this weekend, already looks a lot different than in years past — and it’s not just fresh kits that are giving the league a new look.

As the season gets underway, NWSL teams have begun to harness the power of social media to change the face of the game. Social has provided clubs with a unique opportunity to grow their brands and engage their communities on their own terms.

NJ/NY Gotham FC, the club formally known as Sky Blue, started 2021 off with a social media campaign to announce its rebrand.

📍HOME. pic.twitter.com/pHq4MDn5mY

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) April 6, 2021

After the initial unveiling, social drove much of the team’s continued rebranding efforts, helping the club introduce itself to its expanded market. Gotham needed to find a way to appeal to both New Jersey and New York fans ahead of the 2021 Challenge Cup. This is where social media really came in handy.

Posting a photo of Jon Bon Jovi in Gotham FC gear to Twitter proved to be New Jersey content gold.

Some teams send their merch to space, we send ours to New Jersey legend @jonbonjovi 👍 pic.twitter.com/cVFqpM2D57

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) April 30, 2021

On the New York side of the social media campaign, Gotham engaged with Bronx legend, The Kid Mero, one half of Showtime’s comedy duo Desus & Mero. (Having Midge Purce be the face of their squad doesn’t hurt, either.)

@NWSL CHAMPS BOOK IT JUHUURDDDD https://t.co/eAAODtdDgN

— THE KID MERO 🇩🇴 (@THEKIDMERO) May 3, 2021

It’s not just anecdotal evidence that underscores Gotham’s success. There are numbers to back up the team’s online strategy, as well.

Data gathered by Zoomph shows that Gotham FC had 12 million Twitter impressions during the 2021 Challenge Cup, the most of any team in the league. This type of engagement underscores an eager fan base and potential for growth, bolstering current sponsorships and attracting future partnerships.

The team’s online victory also transferred to the field, with Gotham narrowly losing to Portland in the Challenge Cup final.

"I'm really trying to buy into this whole good girl gone bad theme that I did, is like the Sky Blue to Gotham thing... We are not the same team that we used to be." - Midge Purce postgame tonight#NWSL

— Steph Yang | Horrible Soccer Goose (@thrace) April 21, 2021

The Orlando Pride are another NWSL squad operating at the forefront of social media. The team currently has the most Twitter followers of any club in the league at 125,000 and counting.

The 2020 Challenge Cup was a turning point for the team both on and off the field. When the Pride were ruled out of the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols, the social team decided it was an opportunity for them to try something new.

Even though they weren’t physically in the bubble, they made their presence known online. The team continued to put out creative content that struck a conversational tone and resonated with fans. As a result, Orlando led the league in Twitter engagements during a tournament it didn’t even attend.

The Pride’s social strategy has lived on since their time as Challenge Cup outsiders, evolving into one of the most successful campaigns in the NWSL. Zoomph estimates that Orlando’s Twitter impressions during the 2021 Challenge Cup alone were worth a quarter-million dollars.

Our @NWSL Challenge Cup #PrideStan has been nominated for the Best in Sports Social Media Award by the @sbjsbd: https://t.co/xkAdocX34e

We're honored by the nomination and big thanks to everybody that joined the stan! pic.twitter.com/ZJilDqSUKn

— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) May 3, 2021

New clubs are getting in on the online action, too. In their debut season, Racing Louisville ranks third on Twitter and Facebook for social value, according to Zoomph. Angel City has yet to field a team and already boasts 82,000 Twitter followers.

All of this creative energy going into social campaigns is translating to dollars, which ultimately benefits league sponsors.

Data shows that Budweiser’s NWSL sponsorship has affected consumer behavior. According to a Zoomph report in September, NWSL fans, when compared to the average sports fan in the United States, are 1.7 times more likely to have an affinity for beer, and especially for Budweiser.

NEWS: @budweiser becomes the first official beer sponsor of the #NWSL.

Details ➡️ https://t.co/jzYdmdUVvY pic.twitter.com/oIlkvoDLsW

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 7, 2019

To Just Women’s Sports CEO & Founder Haley Rosen, social media numbers show just how undeniable women’s sports are. When players like Alex Morgan have 9.2 million followers on Instagram, the conversation advances beyond interest toward investment.

Shout it from the rooftops. 👏 https://t.co/wf6qrKzCgp

— AlexisOhanian.eth 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) May 6, 2021

Players and teams are becoming increasingly savvy in the ways they engage with fans and communities directly through social media, cultivating trusted relationships and distinct brands.

As the NWSL moves into the regular season, the teams’ growing online platforms provide a new lane for audience growth, engagement, entertainment and investment.

The New York Liberty appear to be back on track, with the reigning champs leapfrogging the Phoenix Mercury to reclaim the No. 2 spot in the WNBA standings on Wednesday night.

Led by a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double from star forward Breanna Stewart, the Liberty punched a 98-77 win over a Caitlin Clark-less No. 6 Indiana Fever, as the 2025 WNBA All-Star captain remains day-to-day with a groin injury.

With Wednesday's victory, New York is now riding a three-game winning streak into All-Star weekend — and there's even more good news is on the horizon for the Liberty with starting center Jonquel Jones expected to return from her ankle injury after the break.

As for now-No. 3 Phoenix, New York's gain is the Mercury's loss, as their Wednesday clash with the league-leading Lynx ended 79-66 in Minnesota's favor while injured Phoenix stars Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper rode the bench.

Expansion upstart Golden State has also started to skid, leaving the Valkyries entering the break at No. 9 with three consecutive losses — including a 67-58 stumble against the No. 4 Seattle Storm on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, the No. 8 Las Vegas Aces have begun to regroup, entering the All-Star break on a two-game winning streak behind 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson and her combined 71 points and 26 rebounds over the last two games.

With the second half of the 2025 season tipping off following this weekend's All-Star festivities, momentum will be at a premium as early performances roll into postseason trajectories.

World No. 13 Italy advanced to the 2025 Euro semifinals on Wednesday, defeating No. 16 Norway 2-1 in dramatic fashion to make it past the tournament's quarterfinals for the first time since 1997.

Captain Cristiana Girelli played hero, scoring both of Italy's goals — including a 90th-minute game-winner to successfully avoid extra time.

"I felt something different, something special," Girelli said following the match. "I have seen in the eyes of my teammates a special light."

Norway, however, faced a disappointing tournament exit, after captain Ada Hegerberg missed a penalty before scoring the team's lone goal in the second half.

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Next on the 2025 Euro quarterfinals pitch are No. 6 Sweden and No. 5 England, as the European heavyweights face off in one of the round's most-anticipated matchups.

Sweden topped Group C with three emphatic wins, setting them up to take on the runners-up of the competition's notorious "Group of Death" — the reigning Euro champion Lionesses.

England enters the matchup on a two-game winning streak, picking up points against the No. 11 Netherlands and No. 30 Wales after falling to No. 10 France to open group play.

"They're relentless when it comes to tournament football," England captain Leah Williamson said of the Tokyo Olympic silver medalists. "They're just a very organized team."

How to watch Sweden vs. England in the 2025 Euro quarterfinals

The 2025 quarterfinals continue with Sweden taking on England at 3 PM ET on Thursday, live on FOX.

The WNBA has set the scene for this weekend's 2025 All-Star Game, laying out a handful of special rules meant to liven up the on-court action.

The game will introduce four major changes: a four-point shot, a 20-second shot clock, live-play substitutions, and automatic points for free throws.

While four-point shots aren't a new All-Star Game invention, last year's matchup between the WNBA All-Stars and Team USA did not feature them.

To sink a four-point shot on Saturday, the shooting player must have contact with one of the four marked circles on the court, located 28 feet from the rim.

With four seconds taken off the shot clock to speed up the game, All-Star squads will also be able to make a one-player substitution while the ball is in play — so long as the team in question has possession in their backcourt.

As for the "No Free-Throws" rule, free-throw shooting will only occur in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, plus the full length of any overtime period(s).

Prior to the final two minutes of regulation, players will be automatically credited the maximum available point(s) incurred by the foul.

How to watch the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will tip off in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on Saturday.

Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.

Women won big at Wednesday's 2025 ESPY Awards, with star athletes from across women's sports earning top honors for outstanding performances over the past year.

Leading the charge was seven-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles with ESPYS for both Best Athlete, Women's Sports and Best Championship Performance for her trio of golds at last summer's Paris Games.

"Six-year-old me, who first started tumbling on my parents' sofa in the living room, is floored to be standing before you right now," Biles shared in one of her speeches.

Biles's Team USA teammate Suni Lee, who brought her doctor to the awards, won Best Comeback Athlete after battling kidney disease to return to top the Olympic podium.

The night's Best Breakthrough Athlete was USA Rugby star and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Ilona Maher, who used part of her speech to encourage young women and girls, telling them to "Take up space. Pitch it faster. Run harder. Put another plate on the bar. And never tone it down."

Also snagging honors as the top athletes in their respective sports were Coco Gauff (Best Tennis Player), Caitlin Clark (Best WNBA Player), Katie Taylor (Best Boxer), and JuJu Watkins (Best College Athlete, Women's Sports).

Meanwhile, USWNT icon Alex Morgan and WNBA legend Diana Taurasi shared this year's Icon Award in recognition of the new retirees' impacts on their respective sports.

"Our mission has always been very similar," Morgan said in her acceptance speech alongside Taurasi. "We fought to leave our game in a better place than where we found it."

Off-court efforts earn 2025 ESPY Awards

Sports leaders whose impact surpassed the proverbial playing field also took home trophies on Wednesday night.

In recognition of her foundation's commitment to promoting diversity and providing tennis opportunities to underserved communities, US legend Sloane Stephens won this year's Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award.

Later, Penn State volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley earned a standing ovation alongside her Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.

Schumacher-Cawley, who became the first woman to helm a national title-winning volleyball team by leading her Nittany Lions to the 2024 NCAA Championship last December, did so while battling breast cancer.

"Cancer changed my life, but it didn't take it," said an emotional Schumacher-Cawley. "It didn't take my belief, it didn't take my spirit, and it didn't take my team."