MARC BRYAN-BROWN
As the WNBA celebrates its 25th season amid historic levels of growth, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said one league-wide goal is to tackle the "undervaluation of women." Speaking during the CAA World Congress of Sports, Engelbert said the WNBA is a "microcosm of broader society around the undervaluation of women in the workforce, we just happen to be a professional sports league." Engelbert believes sponsors and partners can play a role in changing that narrative by "making sure that you see the value and that we can bring you a diverse, younger fanbase." One of the league's initiatives to help address this issue is WNBA Changemakers. Engelbert said the effort is a "cohort of like-minded companies who really want to step up and activate together" around numerous issues. The league's Changemakers are Nike, Deloitte, AT&T and most recently Google. Engelbert hopes to "sign a few more over the next few months."
Over the next 25 years, Engelbert said, "We need to go from survive to thrive, and we're already on a good path there, but we've got to invest." Engelbert: "We've got to find more partnerships. We've got to get better media rights deals. ... We need to be more innovative, think of other ways to appeal to a fan and bring fans in." Right now, Engelbert said she "can't be more pleased around where we sit and how we're leading 25 years in." Engelbert: "The next 25 years? Buck your seatbelt."
- Engelbert, on how to accrue the right partnerships: "You’ve got to ask the right questions of your partners but you first have to share the vision and values for their business and your business. That’s how we’ve been attacking it. This year, signing Google and Amazon Prime Video in the same week -- two of the biggest tech companies in the world -- yeah, pretty good week for the WNBA."
- On the iconic WNBA orange hoodie: "Not only was it the number one best-selling (merchandise) in the history of the WNBA, ... it was also top ten in the NBA store. . … This isn’t just about that logo or that orange hoodie, this is also about the players building those household names, building those rivalries."
