Borders noted there are no key indicators to suggest the efforts have directly helped sell more ticketsgetty images
The WNBA’s “Take a Seat, Take a Stand” campaign is a "direct rebuke" to President Trump’s treatment of women, as well as an "attempt to align the interests of every one of the league’s constituent groups: players, owners and fans," according to Ben Strauss of POLITICO MAGAZINE. It is a "never-before-attempted gambit to provide a jolt of enthusiasm by grabbing hold of a lightning rod in a political thunderstorm." The league prior to the start of the season "released a promotional video" on Facebook and pledged $5 from every ticket sold this season to be "donated to charities that support women." So far, many "believe it's working." Merchandise sales on the WNBA website are up 50% over last year and the All-Star Game "saw a bump in attendance." WNBA President Lisa Borders said that there is a "school of thought that what’s good for athletes and their activist passions is not necessarily good for business -- best expressed by Michael Jordan’s famously apolitical admonition: 'Republicans buy sneakers, too.'" Borders added, "What we’re seeing is that those two things aren’t in conflict -- they are in concert." Seattle Storm F Breanna Stewart said, "We’re standing up for what we believe in, whether Trump is the president or not." However, Borders noted that there are no key performance indicators to suggest that the new efforts have "directly helped sell more tickets." But she is "pleased with the buzz they created and the attention they’ve drawn." Asked whether she is concerned about alienating any fans, Borders said, “We don’t worry about that at all. I, in particular, don’t worry about that. At the end of the day, the best you can do is be your authentic self. This is who we are" (POLITICO MAGAZINE, July/August issue).
