This is an interesting topic everyone is asking at BWS. It’s a valid one, to say the least. Ask yourself this question, Why are investors skipping the WNBA for the NWSL? Let’s dive in and view our opinions or theories on this topic.
Penny
The WNBA has been active for 25 years and they only have one partner and that partnership is Glossier. Glossier Inc. is a people-powered beauty ecosystem, Skin first, makeup second. This deal was made last year during the bubble. The Body Hero campaign is an excellent choice. The players get to self-care with the Glossier products. Whether is a morning routine with their skin products or self-care with their makeup line. It fits perfectly for the ladies of the W. And quite frankly more beauty products should partner up with the WNBA.
The ladies are super active on their social media platform, to me it sounds like a perfect combo. Beauty, sports drinks, clothing, shoes, personal care ( The time of the month) products all align with the ladies of the W. It sounds like the right thing to do business-wise, right? So why aren’t the WNBA getting sponsorships or partnerships? That is the big question, one thing that comes to mind that trolls/haters will say is, “nobody watches the WNBA”, which in fact is not true.
According to ESPN, the coverage for the WNBA’s final game 3 of the 2020 season; percentage went 34% from game 3 of the 2019 finals. The average view went up 68 % so therefore people are watching if you put women’s sports on national TV. Which in fact there were 87 nationally televised games from the bubble; this is according to Yahoo Sports.
Why are Investors Skipping the WNBA for the NWSL?
What I have noticed and everyone else has noticed is the lack of marketing from the league. This is no secret. The league doesn’t market its players enough to get the attention of companies. The biggest names of the league like Sue Bird, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Liz Cambage, Natasha Cloud, and so on should all have their own shoe line.
Yes, a few do have shoe deals, however, there is a difference between shoe line and shoe deal. None of the above players have their own shoe line. That is crazy to even think about it. All the above players are marketable. They are well known in the sports world.
My theory is and this is a disclaimer the league doesn’t market their top-notch players well or not enough. Show more history about the players, market and promote them daily, start doing commercials again, market the Glossier partnership more. I haven’t seen much about Glossier with the W since last season. The WNBA can do more on the creative side with marketing and promotion. Showcase their personality more and do more trivia so the fans/followers can learn more about each player.
In fact, the players do more self-promotion than the league does. Players like Te’a Cooper have grown in popularity on all social media platforms. She shows her personal life, professional, and partnerships with her followers. It’s great for the fans to get to know the new players and get to interact with them. A’ja does the same and i think she does it perfectly.
Two players can elevate the viewership and exposure of the league. However, they can’t do it alone, that is the WNBA’s job to market them as well. A commercial would be perfect to showcase the young talent in the league, the past, and current legends. A Nike, Adidas, Reebok, shoot any product would be fun to see on a commercial with the ladies right now. One last suggestion is to do a charity event with past players and current players; that would be a nostalgic moment for all the W fans and it’s a great event to market for all fans. Market, market, market, invest, invest in the 144 players.
They are worth it and BET on Women. The NWSL does a great job in getting big-name celebrities, athletes, entertainers to invest in the NWSL and that is one factor the W is lacking. This is unknown but the reality is the lack of marketing. This is my theory on Why are Investors Skipping the WNBA for the NWSL?
Thomas Costello
There are layers to the difference in levels of interest in investment for the WNBA and NWSL. A theory on the business side is there is less financial risk on paying player salaries. The minimum salary for an NWSL player is $20,000, compared to over $56,000 minimum for WNBA players with three years in the league. Also, while the stars of the United States Women’s National team get paid in the hundreds of thousands, those salaries are paid by the US Soccer Federation, and not the NWSL teams.
Time will tell if that continues long term, as the league recently announced that they are no longer managed by US Soccer. In the short term, they’ll continue to pay the salaries of players like Julie Ertz of the Chicago Red Stars and Crystal Dunn of the Portland Thorns.
Besides, the global women’s soccer community is growing. Especially in Europe where teams that are financial juggernauts on the men’s side, like Barcelona, Manchester United, and Paris Saint Germain, have started to heavily invest in their women’s teams. It could be because of revenue levels in women’s competitions, like the World Cup, bringing in $131 million in 2019.
The NWSL has brought in former World Cup winners, tennis stars, members of Hollywood, and even the president’s daughters into the ownership fold in the last year alone. While the financial growth of the global women’s game is a draw, there’s a lot to be said for something NWSL and US International Megan Rapinoe said in a 2020 Player’s Tribune piece, on the topic of the growth of women’s soccer compared to women’s basketball:
“I think we need to be careful about calling the support that we got a “feminist” breakthrough when it’s only part of the way there. Because when the support only extends to “white girls next door” sports? That’s not feminism — or at least it’s not the kind of feminism that I’m here for. I don’t have time for any kind of feminism that’s not real and total — from race to class to religion to gender identity to sexual orientation to everything in between.”
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