Pixel perfect

The GIST: After signing recent WNBA and NWSL partnerships, Google wanted to further support athletes in these leagues. So it worked with rights licensing agency OneTeam Partners to form a historic partnership yesterday with the WNBPA, NWSLPA, and USWNTPA that makes Google Pixel the official mobile phone of the unions and the sponsor of marquee union events. Pixel perfect.

The details: Beyond this, Google Pixel will also serve as the official content capture partner of the players’ associations and sponsor the WNBPA Google Pixel Players’ Lounge at All-Star Weekend, the NWSL Players’ Party, and the USWNTPA Players’ Ball.

• Each event will feature the Pixel Player Portrait Studios — a VIP suite for athletes to hang out, relax, and glow up before being treated to professional photo shoots using Pixel’s AI–powered camera. This includes the second year of the WNBA Players’ Lounge, which has been expanded to involve other brands like L’Oreal Groupe, Def Jam, and BodyArmor.

The context: Men’s unions like the NFLPA benefit from myriad sponsorships with Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft and PepsiCo, but this is still new to the women’s sports space. Notching the first deal involving all three organizations is historic and highlights the overlap between women’s basketball’s and soccer’s shared mission of advancing the game for everyone.

• OneTeam told The GIST yesterday that after the success of last year’s WNBPA Players’ Lounge, Google came to the company asking how they could further invest in athlete stories in basketball and beyond. Since OneTeam represents multiple pro athlete unions, getting all three on a deal was an easy layup.

Zooming out: Women’s sports are still playing catch up in terms of reach and size, but deals like this allow orgs to combine forces to cross-pollinate audiences and boost their reach. Plus, joint collabs like this make it easier for brands to make one big purchase across entities.

• “The women of the W have talked for a long time about joining forces with their colleagues in women’s soccer,” said WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson yesterday. “This deal is transformational and that is our goal. The lesson is simple: there is strength in numbers and the players have harnessed that strength.” No “I” in team.

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