Matt Hochberg

building @hochbergsm / fifa-licensed agent / NWSL + global women’s soccer

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

“I literally, for the first 7 months of HSM, made zero dollars. There was not a penny of revenue... generated.”

^ 1 quote from my convo with @MarketingBrew re: rise of women-focused sports agencies. Thankfully, things began to take off in June 2020 - and we haven't looked back!

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

2:30am client FaceTimes to celebrate championships >>>

Seven HSM athletes took the pitch in the @GainbridgeSL this weekend - five with Lexington SC and two with Carolina Ascent. Lexington won it in extra time, and Regan Steigleder was named Final MVP after scoring the go-ahead goal

Wild hours in the life of a sports agent. Wouldn't trade it though

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

@readDanwrite @ReliableSources @EllynBriggs @FOS Great hire!

[HSM | Women's Sports Representation & Advocacy @hochbergsm]

Champions 🏆🏆

Proud of Regan Steigleder, Cat Barry, Sarah Griffith, Darya Rajaee, and Alyssa Bourgeois - 2026 @GainbridgeSL champions!

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

Seven HSM clients are competing in the @GainbridgeSL Final tonight

Beyond proud of our players - performing exceptionally on the pitch and serving as role models for young fans day in and day out

7pm ET on Peacock - be sure to tune in for some high quality soccer!!

[HSM | Women's Sports Representation & Advocacy @hochbergsm]

This is what it’s all about 🏆

Seven HSM players on the biggest stage in the league tomorrow night - Lexington SC vs. Carolina Ascent, USL Super League Final

May 30 | 7PM ET | Peacock 🟢🟠

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

Huge congratulations to @catbarry25 - the 2026 @USLPlayers Super League Player of the Year

Dominant on the pitch. An even better person. Well deserved 👏

[USLPA @USLPlayers]

Dominant. Relentless. Unstoppable.

Cat Barry set the standard all season long, delivering in the biggest moments and leading with consistency, quality, and confidence every time she stepped on the pitch.

Congratulations to the 2026 USLPA Player of the Year for the USL SL🔥

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

Gucci gets permission for Sinner to carry a bag onto the court at Wimbledon in 2023. The Slams respond by updating their policies to block it moving forward

Sabalenka now does the same at Rome (with written WTA approval) and it's still under review

Fans are showing up to tournaments dressed better than ever, luxury brands are actively looking for cultural moments, and the players are delivering them

The tours should be leaning into these trends

[Sara Germano @germanotes]

As a Gucci ambassador, tennis No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka carried one of the brand’s newest handbags at the Rome Open this month.

But sources tell @Sportico the episode is under review at the WTA for a possible marketing violation: players can only carry sports equipment on court

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

Más+ is a good reminder that reach and relevance aren't the same thing

Having the second-most followed athlete on the planet with more than 500m IG followers didn't translate to moving product

Honestly think 10 aligned women's soccer players with a fraction of Messi's following who are already creating authentic content + relating to their audiences would've done more for that brand

[Brewbound @Brewbound]

Messi, no más. ⚽️🥤

Más+ By Messi, the hydration brand co-founded by Lionel Messi and Mark Anthony Brands, has been phased out after launching in 2024 and struggling to gain traction in sports drinks.

🔗 https://t.co/QWPk13GfTK

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

@kendallbaker @jeffblankenburg Love this. Instant nostalgia

[Ellyn Briggs @EllynBriggs]

Creator cohorts continue to be the go-to way for platforms & rights holders to activate around major sporting events online

Notable here though: This cohort is part of TikTok's broader "Preferred Platform" agreement w/ FIFA for the tournament, which also grants official media partners “the ability to live-stream parts of matches” on the platform, a carve-out that Fox Sports reportedly didn't approve of. 

TikTok & Fox have not publicly reached a deal to extend any of these live look-ins to the U.S. market, but in a statement to @awfulannouncing, TikTok’s Global Head of Sports, Rollo Goldstaub, said the platform sees itself as “complementary to broadcasters, extending the reach of their content, helping find new audiences, and driving value back to their core platforms.”

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

Think this would be a great move for Gotham

Despite the club's talent and recent on-field success, they sit middle of the pack attendance-wise. The reality is New Yorkers don't want to travel to Harrison

Now they may play a subway-ride away from more than 8M people

[Sportico @Sportico]

EXCLUSIVE: @GothamFC is in advanced talks to play in the new soccer stadium that NYCFC is currently building in Queens, according to multiple people familiar with the talks.

The new $780M Queens venue is expected to open in 2027.

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

@novy_williams @HowieLongShort Anecdotally, I’ve heard from a lot of young New Yorkers who want to go to games but find Harrison too far out of the way

Fewer than 9k/game in the biggest market in the country says it all

[Dan Primack @danprimack]

Sports is no longer a diversion for billionaires and private equity. It's a defensive strategy -- the last bulwark against AI disruption.

https://t.co/5j8xjabIaN

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

@GK_ventures 💯

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

@alexisohanian @ShaanVP Will never get tired of seeing this screenshot. Epic

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

Great listen from @soshnick & @novy_williams on women’s sports growth

A few years ago, NWSL expansion fees were still around $2M. Now Columbus just came in at $205M

On the WNBA side, the Golden State Valkyries agreed to a record $50M expansion fee in 2023 and started play in 2025 - and the team is already valued at $850M by Sportico ($1B by CNBC !)

In other words, the WNBA & NWSL are well beyond “early-entry territory” from an investment perspective and are starting to look a lot more like premium sports assets

[Scott Soshnick @soshnick]

🏀New Episode🏀

Sporticast: The WNBA Is Unlike Any Other Major U.S. League https://t.co/gF0bR5MoSc via @sportico

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

Per Inditex’s own website, the 88% figure refers to textile fibers of "lower environmental impact," not "non-toxic" materials, which is what @levelsio is talking about

That category can include recycled synthetic fibers and other lower-impact alternatives, so citing it as proof Zara is non-toxic mixes up two different claims

https://t.co/TYa6TlOmlQ

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

Truly impressive foresight from @willahmed

📽️: Working Hard, Hardly Working with Grace Beverley

[nic nguyen @nicnguyen]

I'm sick of screens, which is why I wear an Oura 99% of the time and a smartwatch 10% of the time.

It makes complete sense why Google is releasing an Oura/Whoop competitor. The best health tracker is the one you forget you're wearing, and never have to take off.

Gift link to my latest column on the Fitbit Air and the rise of no-display continuous health monitors: https://t.co/n8zSiDsYEW

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

@FiftySixtyAI Let’s get to work Henry 📈

[Scott Soshnick @soshnick]

What he said 👇

[Matt Hochberg @Hochberg]

Truly exciting to see more investors paying attention to and believing in women’s sports

But this is nothing new to many who have been building in the industry

@alexisohanian in 2024 👇

[Ben Horney @BenHorney]

NEW: Ariel Investments, an investor in the Denver Summit expansion NWSL team and League One Volleyball, believes a women’s pro franchise will be valued at $1 billion within the next five years.

Reporting with @readDanwrite for @FOS:
https://t.co/5LKOPjOeVd