Love and basketball
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hey there!
The stars were out at this year’s All-Star Weekend, which saw over 16K fans stream into the Phoenix Mercury’s Footprint Center despite exorbitant ticket prices compared to years past. Actors Aubrey Plaza and Jason Sudeikis made special appearances at Togethxr events, while LSU phenom (and rapper) Flau’jae Johnson took the mic at an Adidas event honoring Candace Parker.
- As we get ready for an all-star week ahead, here’s the latest in the world of women’s basketball…
3x3 women’s basketball
🤝 Unrivaled support
The GIST: Unrivaled — the 3x3 pro women’s basketball league founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier — made its first major partnership announcement on Friday. Unsurprisingly, the first sponsor to sign with the new league is Ally, the financial institution that’s been transforming women’s sports through investment via its 50/50 Pledge. Dropping dimes.
The details: As a founding partner, Ally’s logo will be omnipresent across digital content, in-arena signage, and on team jerseys. The bank also plans on sponsoring in-person activations to engage fans, such as the WNBA All-Star panel that publicized the partnership on Saturday.
- As per usual, the veteran women’s sports sponsor is going above and beyond in its investment — Ally is providing an advance on media spend, which will ensure fans can view all Unrivaled games and gives the league an edge in its ongoing negotiations with potential media partners.
- Plus, Ally named Stewart to its Team Ally squad of ambassadors, which also includes the Las Vegas Aces’ Sydney Colson and Alysha Clark.
The basketball connection: Ally has made significant headway on the women’s basketball court in recent years by sponsoring the ACC, launching an NCAA women’s hoops showcase called Ally Tipoff, and partnering with the WNBA’s Aces in March.
The impact: Although Unrivaled has already managed to land impressive power players on its exec board, like chief brand officer Kirby Porter and league commissioner Mickey Lawler, it’s still a startup and will face the usual challenges such as capital raises and brand recognition.
- “As a startup, we need committed sponsors and media to drive fandom and growth, so it’s amazing to have a partner like Ally on board from day one that has such a strong track record of advancing equity and elevating women’s sports,” Stewart said in a Friday press release.
- On Ally’s side, moves like this are expected to foster goodwill among loyal women’s sports fans. The bank’s stock rose about 70% YoY in March, and trust in the brand is reportedly up 70% since 2017. Bank shot.
WNBA
🐝 Let’s bee together
The GIST: Women-first dating app Bumble is firmly embracing its sporty era. After past collabs in the e-sports and NIL spaces, the app announced a multiyear partnership with the WNBA last Wednesday The move followed a Bumble survey that helped it realize its users are all about love and basketball.
The details: The new sponsorship makes Bumble the league’s first official dating app partner, and the companies kicked off their collab with All-Star Weekend activations hosted by popular WNBA player Sydney Colson. The Las Vegas Ace also hosted a meet-and-greet with fans on behalf of the brand on Saturday. A whole new meaning to pickup game.
The background: Last July, Bumble commissioned a survey through Censuswide that fielded responses from about 1.5K U.S. adults aged 18 to 75. Some questions centered around opinions about sports, which led the app to some interesting findings.
- For respondents aged 18 to 24, basketball was the top sporting event chosen for an exciting first date. And more than 61% of respondents in that age range said it’s important that their partner values men’s and women’s sports equally. About damn time.
- Plus, Gen-Z and Millennials were found to have strong connections with their favorite sports teams, with half of respondents aged 18 to 34 saying that being a fan of their teams is an important part of who they are.
The alignment: Although Bumble and the WNBA are great at fostering online communities, both orgs recognize that IRL connections are key to lasting relationships. The partnership also makes sense because Gen Z has been proven to swarm to both Bumble and the WNBA — more Zoomers know and love Bumble compared to older peeps, and the WNBA’s biggest age demo is 18 to 34.
- Plus, the dating app noted to The GIST that shared values deeply matter in the 2024 dating space, which is something WNBA fans can agree on. A slam dunk.
🏛️ U.S. vice president Kamala Harris — an avid supporter of WNBA players and South Carolina’s women’s hoops team — announced her intention to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Dream with ambition.
📅 The Chicago Sky told season ticket holders that the WNBA plans to extend its season to 44 games in 2025, which would mark the longest in league history.
💼 Former CAA and ESPN executive Courtney Carter was named chief revenue officer for the NWSL’s Seattle Reign FC and MLS’ Seattle Sounders FC.
🏀 Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is credited with driving up the average price of away tickets for Fever games by 85% compared to the team’s home games.
📈 The 3x3 space is getting bigger as 3XBA, another pro women’s 3x3 basketball league, plans to launch at the 3XBA Invitational Tournament next month. It’s getting hot in here.
🏟️ European soccer governing body UEFA appointed digital sports marketing agency Two Circles as the exclusive media sales agency for the Women’s Champions League in a deal that extends until 2030.
💸 Varsity Brands will sell $2.375B in new first-tier debt and take $100M from a $400M credit line from global private equity firm KKR, which agreed to buy Varsity from Bain Capital earlier this month.
⛳ Former LPGA SVP Wendy Caves was named the chief people officer of TMRW Sports, the sports venture founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy that is launching TGL next year. Playing the long game.
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📺 What to stream
Young Woman and the Sea. The new film starring Daisy Ridley is based on the true story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. From immigrant beginnings to Olympic glory, it’s inspiring.
🏓 Who to cheer for
Zhiying Zeng, a Chinese immigrant now making her Olympic debut for Team Chile in table tennis at age 58. She’s proof that dreams have no expiration date.
👟 What your feet need
Xero Shoes. Live life feet first with their comfortable barefoot shoes. Word on the street: It’s life-changing.
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