Women’s sports is a high growth space, but one that should be treated with a fresh eye. For brands, it represents an incredible opportunity to rewrite the playbook by understanding fans at a deeper level and thinking about partnership in a more expansive and mutualistic way.
By: Katie Hankinson, Romy Nehme and Anna Reynolds
What a last stretch it has been for the WNBA: an adrenaline pumping, record breaking Finals between the NY Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx – with the Liberty clinching its first championship in 28 long years. Those players represented the sport on a stage the league had never seen before. And that stage is only going to get bigger from here, with three expansion franchises on the horizon. The Golden State Valkyries already have over 15,000 season ticket deposits for their inaugural season, higher than any other WNBA team in history.
As Coach Cheryl Reeve noted, “The league has been building for a watershed moment, and we’re here….Now, you’ve got to take advantage of it…and capitalize on it.” This is an inflection point that brands and businesses are going to want to be part of.
The players have recognized their growing power. Days after the season’s end, the players’ association issued a matter-of-fact statement to the league and the world in regards to choosing to opt out of their contract: “It’s Business.”
And that’s what we’re setting out to explore; the business of building something new, beyond simply following the commercial model of men’s sports. In other words, how can women’s sports – with the WNBA at the head of that movement — “play on courts of their own design”, and chart their own horizon of growth and innovation?
This moment sparks a bevy of questions for us to explore: What can this moment teach us about how to shape a category? How can we better understand and tap into the unique nature of women’s sports fandoms? And in a world where players and fans can connect directly, what roles should brands play to create true value?
Fans as an Engine of Growth
Fans are the lifeblood of any sports organization and league. That much is obvious. But understanding what makes WNBA fans tick is how you build a thriving enterprise.
Younger, fiercely loyal, and surprisingly not much more female than the makeup of NBA fans, the W’s fans want to see the investment and appreciation they show their team reflected in the experience and partnerships that surround the game. Take Ellie the Elephant, the Liberty’s mascot and breakout star. If you’ve been to a Liberty game at Barclays, you know that nothing beats the soaring, heart thumping energy during the team’s trademark Ellie Wave. She’s become a cultural icon precisely because she doesn’t follow traditional mascot norms.
As the Liberty’s Chief Brand Officer is quick to remind us, mimicry just won’t work for other teams who have Ellie envy; that’s because she embodies Brooklyn’s culture and history (a PT Barnum stunt designed to convince people the Brooklyn Bridge was sturdy.)
What you can do is reproduce the same first principles thinking that led to the brilliant decisions that birthed Ellie. The best innovations start close to home.
The Opportunity:
The WNBA shows us that fandom, when respected on its own terms, can lead to opportunities that challenge conventional wisdom (see: a dancing elephant mascot with a braid featured in Vogue.)
Part of the challenge of growing can be disenchanting the fans that have been with you the longest like the U.S. Open realized this fall. Lean into your superfans (superconsumers) and create scaffolded fan experiences that start with your most ardent supporters, all the while designing new entry points that eliminate barriers of entry for newcomers.
Rethinking brand engagement and partnerships
The WNBA is a testing ground for brands willing to think differently. As more brands come into the women’s sports space, transcending the transactional paradigm of brand exposure means becoming cultural participants and co-creators; adopting a true mutualistic mindset.
Examples like Opill’s partnership with the W have tapped into something that players are passionate about representing, while amplifying the league’s values. The goal of the partnership isn’t just product placement, it’s about giving oxygen to a critical conversation; making resources that promote reproductive health accessible at a time when it’s under threat.
The opportunity: Brands have the chance to co-author a new era in women’s sports, one that generates both fan value and goodwill. That accrues both brand and league value.
The measure of any great partnership is this: does it enhance the fan experience in a substantive way? Does it have the potential to become a landmark part of the experience in or around the game, to connect fans in a new way, or deepen their engagement and understanding of the game they love?
As the WNBA and other leagues and sports chart a new path, here are some provocations for brands ready to jump in.
- Categories Native to the Women’s Game: The Opill partnership highlights just one of the many underserved areas of health & wellness that are there for the taking. Jackie MacMullan’s ESPN series on mental health in the NBA shattered the stigma around male athletes opening up about mental health. Athletes like Allyson Felix, Naomi Osaka and brands like Bobbie are showing that you can be a mom and strive to be the best in the world. What brands will be next in helping break barriers to participation and promoting female athletes and women’s true wellbeing, as defined by them?
- Values of solidarity and community: This summer, we witnessed powerful dynamics of solidarity during the Olympics’ Gymnastics podium ceremony between Team USA and Brazil, transcending Nike’s anthem of “Winning isn’t for Everyone.” Brands have created iconic storylines around competitiveness for decades now. What brands can help add new stories to the canon by dimensionalizing winning, creating new player mythologies, making new forms of leadership legible – and recognizing the deep sense of abiding community that exists in the W and other women’s sports?
- Data Storytelling as Passion Amplifier: Second Spectrum transformed NBA fandom by making the intricate details, player data and beauty of the game more accessible to fans. And it recently partnered with the W to deliver the same solutions, which will explode the content ecosystem around the game. Napheesa Collier was recently on 60 Minutes, touting the W’s unique brand of basketball, centered around smarts, fundamentals, and toughness. What brands could bring additional innovation and rich storytelling to make the language of the women’s game visible to fans?
About the Author
Katie is a brand strategist and MD, US at Yonder consulting. Romy is a brand & cultural strategist who has advised leagues and teams, Anna is an ex pro athlete and consultant at Yonder consulting with a background in research
About Yonder
At Yonder, we help clients reimagine their commercial models, deeply understand their audiences, and uncover new ways to connect brands with culture. The WNBA’s rapid ascent and the growing space of women’s sport overall presents a unique opportunity to shape a new space, and for brands, redefining how they build value, engage fans, and authentically participate in culture. Our aim here is to share insights that can guide any brand or business leader looking to make a meaningful impact within evolving category dynamics. For brands, this isn’t just a spectator moment; it’s a chance to become active contributors to a new era in sports and culture..
