It's Been A "Breakthrough" Year For The PWHL
The PWHL had a breakthrough season as acknowledged by players, staff, and at the 17th annual Sports Business Awards. From fans, to media coverage, it was a banner beginning.
PWHL's inaugural season is 2024's Breakthrough of the Year
The Professional Women’s Hockey League is the true definition of a breakthrough -- and not just for women’s sports, and the success of its inaugural season earned it the 2024 Breakthrough of the Year honor at the Sports Business Awards.
The six-team league launched this year in strong hockey markets, and it immediately experienced sellouts, record ticket sales and an all-time attendance record for a women’s hockey game in February at Scotiabank Arena with 19,285 fans, a record that has since been broken.
Amid the league’s inaugural finals series between Minnesota and Boston, the PWHL was honored as Breakthrough of the Year at the 17th annual SBJ Sports Business Awards on Wednesday night in New York.The league founded by Mark Walter, also owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, debuted in January without even team names, six months after it was announced.In just five months since the first game was played, the PWHL has set six attendance records for women’s hockey, added more than 40 corporate partners and seen more than 1 million social media followers.
Billie Jean King, one of the league’s founders, accepted the award on behalf of the league. The league’s MVP award is named after King.“There are more than 200 employees who aren’t able to be with us tonight, each of whom took a bet,” King said. “This award is a significant achievement for hockey, and women’s sports. And on a personal note, I’ve waited my entire life for moments like this. And women’s sports are now seen as an investment and not a charity. Those of you in this room are the game changers who can keep women’s sports moving forward.”