Women’s soccer has posted impressive growth in the past few years for both games and non-game content, and media outlets are starting to recognize that. The latest one to make a big move in covering that space is the Men in Blazers Media Network.
The TV show, podcast, and digital brand founded by Roger Bennett and Michael Davies in 2014 (first on ESPN, soon after on NBC’s platforms) has had plenty of expansions since then. And their newest is hiring former U.S. women’s national team star Sam Mewis (who announced her playing retirement along with this) as editor in chief of a new “The Women’s Game” vertical on their site. Here’s more on that from a release:
Men in Blazers Media Network today announced that USWNT World Cup winner and US Soccer 2020 Player of the Year Sam Mewis, will join them full-time having been named Editor-in-Chief of ‘The Women’s Game,’ Men in Blazers Media Network’s new women’s soccer vertical. In this new role, Mewis will oversee an ambitious build-out to cover all aspects of the fast-growing global game including NWSL, European competitions, and international tournament play.
Mewis, who announced her retirement from her playing career today, will immediately transition into this new role, which will include developing a myriad of new cross-platform programming for the network in addition to live game coverage, Twitch watchalongs, and live podcast tour shows.
USWNT star Lynn Williams will be the first member of what will amount to the global network covering the women’s game in its entirety across the United States, Europe, and beyond, with more names to come. ‘The Women’s Game’ will begin with a weekly podcast, with first guests including US captain Lindsey Horan, Barcelona and England star Lucy Bronze, USWNT international Kristie Mewis, World Cup champions Mal Swanson and Crystal Dunn, and England legend Jill Scott.
“It is a sad moment to have to step away from playing the game that I love, but it’s also incredibly exciting to be joining the team at Men in Blazers Media Network and remaining so close to the sport,” said Sam Mewis. “We’ve all seen the explosive growth of women’s soccer, and there’s a huge market for fans who want to follow not only what’s happening in the US, but across the globe.”
Here’s Mewis’ retirement announcement:
Thank you ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PJL2tPFZvt
— Samantha Mewis (@sammymewy) January 19, 2024
Mewis had previously worked with Men in Blazers on a Twitch commentary show during the FIFA Women’s World Cup last summer. It’s notable to see her retiring from playing and taking on a more consistent media role. Those are different skillsets, so we’ll see how she does as an editor, but her playing credentials certainly are impressive.
And it’s interesting to see the Men in Blazers brand diving into women’s soccer more. As with many women’s sports, that does look like a growth area, and we’ve seen plenty of media companies dive into it more recently. But it’s particularly notable to see coverage outside live game rights. We’ll see what Mewis does with this role, and how much of an impact the Men in Blazers coverage makes, but it’s definitely notable to see them going into this with a big name and a prominent former player.
