“That’s really always been the goal: How do we uplift women’s basketball overall?” Kirby Porter, chief brand officer at Unrivaled, told ADWEEK. “It’s cool to see it have a ripple effect across different leagues, so how do we continue to really innovate and push a needle for our fans but also our partners?”
In addition to the NIL announcement, Samsung powered a recruiting-themed tour, Ally set up a locker room, Sephora built a glam station and tunnel for pregame looks, State Farm helped build a replica court, and Under Armour supplied a merch store. When players including LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, and the University of Connecticut’s Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd took the court for the NIL announcement, they were already surrounded by brands operating independently of the WNBA.
“We always measure things twofold. Are we impacting the landscape through new media deals, more endorsement deals for players, women’s sports becoming a billion-dollar industry, players getting bigger deals, salaries continue to rise, a healthy CBA—these are things that you can note that the industry is growing,” Marciano said. “The other way we measure is how our business and brand are growing, and by every metric, fans of women’s sports are more favorable to our brand.”
Investing in the future
In the press conference after the All-Star Game, Collier noted that a CBA typically lasts for seven years, and that when players negotiate one, they do so to set up the next CBA and affect future generations. So, even as Collier moved through All-Star Weekend, interviews, brand activations, and appearances, the CBA and the Thursday meeting was foremost in her thoughts.
“I feel like I haven’t been able to forget it, like people won’t let us, which is amazing, just the awareness that we’ve raised this weekend,” Collier said. “The fans doing that chant gave me chills, so the fact that we’ve kept this so present in the conversation, it’s never left my mind because of that.”
