The National Squash League, which has spent its brief existence in the sort of obscurity that makes even lacrosse look overexposed, has found itself a title sponsor with reach: iHeartMedia, the audio colossus that emerged from the ashes of Clear Channel Communications.
The multi-platform agreement, announced as the league's 2026-27 season opens Thursday in Bridgeport, Conn., makes iHeartMedia the presenting sponsor of the NSL playoffs in March and puts the company's name on jersey patches across all 16 franchises. Financial terms were not disclosed, which in sponsorship announcements is the industry equivalent of "we'd rather not say."
The timing is not accidental. Squash will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and the NSL is positioning itself to benefit from whatever attention that generates. The agreement includes access to Olympic-bound athletes for the kind of multimedia features that iHeartMedia's platforms — a portfolio that spans more than 850 radio stations and a podcast network of considerable size — are designed to deliver.
"This partnership will introduce the league's athletes to new audiences ahead of the Olympics," said Stephanie Borges, a commercial advisor for the NSL, adding that the deal represents "a starting point" for the league's commercial ambitions this season. (One does not announce a deal as an ending point.)
Michael Biondo, iHeartMedia's president of business development and strategic partnerships, spoke of connecting listeners with "the athletes, personalities and stories helping to bring squash into a new era."
The playoff sponsorship will carry branding called "The Power Play," which presumably tested well.
For iHeartMedia, the deal is a modest wager on a sport that may or may not capture American attention when the Olympic torch arrives. For squash, it is another small step toward the kind of visibility that requires, among other things, explaining to people that the sport is not the vegetable.
Original story published in sportsbusinessjournal.com: "National Squash League taps iHeartMedia as title sponsor for 2026-27 season"