Racing Louisville is apparently exploring its options, as ESPN reported the 2021 NWSL expansion side looks to sell a minority investment stake this week.
Primary owner Soccer Holdings is seeking additional buy-ins to help keep up with more aggressive spending league-wide, though a spokesperson told ESPN and The Courier Journal a majority stake is not on the table. The club also has no plans to relocate.
"As the NWSL experiences unprecedented growth, Soccer Holdings is constantly evaluating strategic opportunities to ensure Racing Louisville has the resources to compete at the highest level," the club said in a statement.
While NWSL valuations have exploded in recent years, Racing Louisville has struggled to keep pace. The club's $127 million valuation ranked lower than 11 of its 16 competitors entering the 2026 season, according to Sportico, despite a 75% increase from mid-2024 that matched the league average.
Low local turnout continues to spur concerns about the franchise's long-term viability. Racing Louisville averaged just 5,409 fans in 2025 — the lowest among 14 NWSL clubs and an 11% drop from 2023. Lynn Family Stadium can host approximately 15,000 guests.
The team currently sits 14th in the NWSL standings after eight matches — despite knocking off first-place Portland Thorns 3-1 last week.
However, Racing isn't alone in exploring an NWSL sale. Houston remains up for grabs after last winter's sale failed to pass, while North Carolina sold a stake to Marc Lasry and Avenue Sports Group in March.
2026 WNBA valuations jumped 59% with teams now averaging $427 million each, as Sportico's latest report puts the Golden State Valkyries on top at $850 million for the second straight year.
The New York Liberty rank second at $600 million, followed by the Indiana Fever at $560 million, Seattle at $425 million, and Phoenix at $420 million. The 13 teams that competed in 2025 hold a combined value of $5.55 billion, with Atlanta sitting last at $280 million.
The Valkyries generated a league-record $78 million in revenue during their 2025 debut season, fueled by more than 10,000 season ticket holders and robust sponsorship deals. The league's average franchise valuation has climbed 345% between 2024 and 2026.
The 2026 WNBA valuations reflect the league's new $2.2 billion media rights deal set to kick in this season. Teams received at least $3 million from media and sponsorship deals in 2025, with that figure rising to at least $6 million in 2026.
The WNBA generated approximately $410 million in total revenue during the 2025 season, with teams averaging $31.5 million each. Multiple franchises turned profits in 2025, with that number expected to grow despite the salary cap jumping from $1.5 million to $7 million under the new CBA.
Meanwhile, expansion continues reshaping the landscape. Toronto and Portland are joining for 2026, while the WNBA green lit franchises in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to bring the league to 18 teams by 2030.
US tennis star Coco Gauff continues to win off the court, with the 2025 French Open champion topping Sportico's list of the 15 Highest-Paid Female Athletes for the third consecutive year.
Fueled by $23 million in off-court endorsements, the $31 million earned by the 21-year-old world No. 3 WTA player edged out the $30 million total income that fellow tennis star and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka garnered in 2025.
Unsurprisingly, a full 10 athletes on the Sportico Top 15 list are tennis stars, a direct result of the fact that all four Grand Slams and the Masters 1000 tournaments boast equal prize money between the men's and women's competitions — a shift that began with the 1973 US Open.
That established expectation of gender equity in prize money has tennis far outpacing salaries in most other women's sports.
Also making the Top 15 are two LPGA golfers — world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (No. 15 on the Highest-Paid Female Athletes list) and US star No. 2 Nelly Korda (No. 7) — as well as popular Olympic skiier Eileen Gu (No. 4), WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark (No. 6), and USA gymnastics legend Simone Biles (No. 11).
Notably, Gu, Clark, and Biles as well as Venus Williams (No. 14) all proved the power of endorsements on this year's list, with nearly all of the quartet's earnings coming from sponsorship deals.