Put it on the calendar

The GIST: After pushing the deadline (again) to reach a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the WNBA and WNBPA are back in the news as details emerge on the league’s latest proposal to the players union. While the league is finally offering higher salary maximums and revenue-sharing opportunities, it’s asking for a few big things in return, namely an extended season.

• If players are paid more, the league wants to bank more, and one way to do that is by extending its schedule. But lengthening the regular-season calendar may not be an easy fix, especially not for the brands that have already committed to college ball and offseason leagues. So many balls in the air.

The details: The league is open to boosting minimum salaries from $66K to over $225K, and max payouts could reach up to $1.2M with the salary base and revenue-sharing. Team salary caps would jump from $1.5M to $5M, but these increases come at a cost.

• The league proposed an earlier season start, with training camp potentially tipping off in mid-March — yes, during March Madness. The early start could also conflict with emerging offseason leagues like Unrivaled and Project B, which have quickly carved out space with dedicated sponsors and broadcasters.

• Additionally, the W wants to stop offering player housing, which has been a staple since 2016.

The caveat: Adding regular-season games in exchange for a higher revenue share isn’t unheard of — that’s what NFL players agreed to in 2020 for their current CBA, though many players opposed the expansion. The move would curb offseason opportunities for the W’s players, which affects the unique offseason ecosystem in women’s pro basketball.

• Additionally, the W season would then overlap with college basketball’s grand finale, making seniors hard-pressed to balance college ball, coursework, and draft prep.

• On the plus side, an extended season does mean extended exposure, and from a media perspective, that’s good for players, the league, and its affiliated sponsors. But all this may be moot, as the WNBPA is reportedly rejecting the proposal for lack of information regarding pay scale and salary cap, as well as its proposed cuts to player housing.

The advertising and sponsorship impact: Overlapping with the NCAA and Unrivaled could present some challenges for brands that are invested in this specific March timeline. Brands have already committed to Unrivaled and March Madness to differentiate from WNBA partnerships and campaigns, so a W extension into March would complicate current plans.

• At the same time, CBA tensions present an opportunity for brands to step in and fill gaps between the league and union, something we’ve seen them do before to close gendered prize pool gaps. Could the league lean on a brand to help with its housing situation the way it partnered with Delta to bring charter flights to players? The only place left to go is up.

The GIST: On Tuesday, U.S. Soccer announced the creation of the Kang Women’s Institute, a research platform within the organization funded by the aforementioned Kang’s generous $55M in total commitments to support women’s soccer. The platform aims to close the gaps in scientific research around women athletes in the lead-up to the Women’s World Cups in 2027 and 2031.

• This could have major implications on the ecosystem around women’s soccer — let’s explore what this means for brands that partner with the women’s game.

The details: As mentioned above, Kang’s initiative cites research showing that only about 6% of sports research focuses exclusively on women athletes, something the institute plans to combat with the first-ever national study dedicated to evaluating the comprehensive needs of women soccer players.

• More specifically, the research study will allow the scientific community to better understand pressing topics in women’s soccer such as injury prevention amid an ACL injury epidemic, workload management, and issues affecting mental health and menstrual health.

The ecosystem: To fill the research gap, emerging brands like IDA Sports (which Kang has also invested in) offer science-backed designs specifically for women athletes. Adidas recently followed suit, developing their first-ever boot designed specifically for women, which USWNT star Trinity Rodman helped bring to life.

• Creating new products designed specifically for women athletes requires this essential research, and it’s been a challenge to build the business case for these products without data to illustrate what women need.

• This means U.S. Soccer’s forthcoming study alone could spur a wave of new, necessary products and brands around the unique physical, mental, and menstrual health of athletes (something that came into play at the 2023 Women’s World Cup).

Zooming out: Women’s soccer players have long operated in systems that weren’t quite built for them, but this investment and the WSL’s new guidelines for building women’s soccer stadiums are showing the ROI of creating dedicated spaces. The innovative CPKC Stadium is expanding and has enjoyed sellouts since opening in 2024, while IDA saw triple YOY revenue growth in 2024.

• Women athletes need this, but many youth athletes and families also stand to benefit. Women’s soccer fans are uniquely aware of and loyal to supportive brands, which helps explain why IDA is thriving.

• Let’s not forget the health and women-focused brands that are already lining up around the women’s game, like pain relievers Tylenol and Haleon, baby-care brand Joie, and menstrual care startups like Here We Flo, ModiBodi, and Alea Protection. It’s about bloody time.