Monumental will make a significant investment in groundbreaking curated guide for women’s sports news and its women’s basketball vertical
Washington, D.C. (June 16, 2025) – Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) announced today that it has made a strategic investment in sports media platform The IX and its dedicated women’s basketball vertical The Next.
The IX is a daily newsletter authored by six reporters that provides a curated guide to women’s sports including soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics. Founded in 2019 by sports journalism veteran Howard Megdal who also serves as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief, The IX offers unparalleled original reporting, interviews and analysis across multiple platforms.
The Next, founded in 2020 by Megdal under The IX’s umbrella, broke ground as the industry’s first 24/7/365 newsroom dedicated to women’s basketball coverage. The Next publishes more than 100 reported pieces on women’s basketball every month, along with six podcasts per week.
Monumental’s significant investment will equip The IX and The Next with resources to hire two full-time business employees to oversee both day-to-day company operations and longer lead initiatives. The expansion in operational capacity and dedicated business staff allows The IX and The Next to further grow in scale, reach and impact on a beat that has historically lacked dedicated coverage. The IX and The Next will maintain complete editorial independence, as explicitly outlined in terms of the investment agreement, to ensure continued autonomy.
“Our partnership with The IX and The Next reflects our deep, long-standing commitment to advancing women’s sports and ensuring that the athletes, coaches, executives, fans, and other voices shaping this space receive the visibility and recognition they deserve,” said Zach Leonsis, President of Media & New Enterprises at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “What Howard and his team have built is a trusted platform delivering outstanding journalism that both informs and inspires followers of all things women’s sports. As owners and stewards of the Washington Mystics for two decades, and readers of The IX since its inception, we are proud to support them in elevating their stories and expanding their reach.”
“We are entering a pivotal phase of growth, and Monumental’s investment positions us to connect brands eager to reach the women’s sports audience with our passionate readers and listeners,” said Megdal. “We were looking for a partner that was equally aligned with our mission while preserving our independence. Given Ted’s own interest in our platform and his ability to recognize shifts in paradigms across many industries, Monumental is that partner. This investment will unlock our ability to grow and scale our platform, a truly independent source for women’s sports news and analysis.”
“I was one of the first subscribers to both platforms, and I still look forward to seeing their newsletters in my inbox every day,” said Ted Leonsis, CEO and Founder of Monumental. “My genuine interest as a fan is what hooked me to pursue this investment. I am proud of the work they are doing to cover women’s sports.”
The IX and The Next Break New Ground
Also available at theixsports.com, The IX’s daily newsletters provide original reporting, interviews with athletes, coaches, and industry leaders; and a comprehensive guide on essential women’s sports content for reading, watching, and listening. Writers include Annie Peterson on soccer (Monday), Joey Dillon on tennis (Tuesday), founder Howard Megdal on basketball (Wednesday), Marin Dremock on golf (Thursday), contributors from The Ice Garden on hockey (Friday) and Lela Moore on gymnastics (Saturday).
In addition to founding The IX and serving as its Editor-in-Chief, Howard Megdal is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Next. Megdal has written eight books, including the upcoming Becoming Caitlin Clark, and has covered women’s sports at The New York Times, the Washington Post, Sports Illustrated and many other outlets.
Since their founding, both The IX and The Next have quickly scaled in impact and readership, with audience reach rivaling the most established newsrooms.
Both platforms recorded an almost 82% growth in subscribers in the past year – a significant contrast from subscription declines currently seen across the news industry
In 2024, The IX garnered more than 12 million readers and The Next amassed over 30 million
Currently, The Next reaches an average of more than 3 million readers, and The IX reaches an average of over 1.6 million
The Next’s podcast “Locked on Women’s Basketball” attracts over 350,000 monthly listeners.
A Monumental Commitment to Women’s Sports
The investment builds on MSE’s decades-long work to champion women’s sports, with Ted Leonsis’ 20-year tenure as one of the earliest and longest-serving WNBA owners reflecting this longstanding commitment.
Monumental has been an industry leader in women’s sports programs since its founding, including a multitude of pioneering initiatives supporting women’s sports and expanding its coverage in the media.
In 2023, the Mystics became the first WNBA team to feature a dedicated pre- and postgame show for every regional game broadcast on Monumental Sports Network (MNMT)
In addition to the network’s Mystics coverage, during the 2024-25 college basketball season, MNMT partnered with collegiate athletic departments to air more than 30 women’s college basketball games, including several games from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). MNMT also airs girls high school basketball and broadcasts and fully produces matches for the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, as well as a dedicated postgame show following all matches on MNMT.
As part of its District of Play youth sports initiative, MSE debuted a Girls Empowerment Program in 2025 that includes a groundbreaking partnership with Coach Across America’s She Changes the Game®
The Mystics were a founding member of the Washington Coalition of Women’s Professional Sports, created to connect and support the DMV region’s women’s sports teams
The Capitals created the ALL CAPS ALL HER platform, which has provided access to hockey and elevated the game for over 2,000 women and girls in the Washington D.C. area since its launch in 2021 through adult and youth hockey programs, professional development opportunities and coach/referee trainings
In 2022, Wizards District Gaming, Monumental’s esports franchise, partnered with the Mystics to support new and ongoing efforts to elevate women gamers
The Capitals, Wizards and Mystics consistently host activations during their regular seasons focused on engaging young female athletes and elevating women in the sports industry including annual Women’s Night games and pre-game/in-game activities.
Monumental Sports Network recently announced an expansion of the “Monumental Game Center” in the Monumental+ app, which will offer integrated sports betting and gamification for all Washington Mystics games broadcast on the network throughout the 2025 season. With this offering, MNMT is the first known local media rights holder to offer viewer interactivity including live sports betting, advanced stats, and gamification options across the women’s sports landscape.
For More Information
To get all of The IX’s women’s sports newsletters delivered directly to your inbox each week, subscribe at theixsports.com/subscribe/. To get every story and podcast produced by The Next delivered directly to your inbox, subscribe at thenexthoops.com/subscribe/.
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About Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Monumental Sports & Entertainment is America’s leading sports and entertainment family. Our people, players, teams and events bring excitement and joy to millions. We invest and innovate to consistently raise the game so we can deliver extraordinary experiences that will inspire and unite our community, our fans and our people. To learn more, please visit https://monumentalsports.com/.
About The IX
The IX is a daily newsletter and curated guide to women’s sports that provides insight readers cannot get anywhere else. The publication is focused on giving a spotlight to the people and stories of women’s sports that the current sports landscape does not provide. For more information, visit: www.theixsports.com.
About The Next
The Next is a 24/7 women’s basketball newsroom that produces over 100 editorial pieces each month, along with a daily podcast. For more information, visit: www.thenexthoops.com.