The WNBA Is Pioneering A Change In American Sports
It’s time to take that Diana Taurasi jersey hanging in your closet and give it away. At the NBA Store’s Center Court this afternoon, the Phoenix Mercury and LifeLock – an identity theft protection company – broke ground in partnering up for the first-ever branded WNBA team jersey. Instead of reading “Phoenix” on the front of the jersey, your new Taurasi #3 threads will sport “LifeLock” across the chest. Premiere League soccer teams have been doing this forever, and now the WNBA is blazing the train in the U.S.
This three-year partnership will feature the Lifelock name and logo on Mercury jerseys, on their playing surface. And there are some huge perks for WNBA fans too. Every WNBA season ticket holder gets a free one-year LifeLock membership – valued at $110.
This announcement is a big deal. Commissioner Stern made an appearance at the Store, one of a litany of recognizable faces along with CNBC’s Darren Rovell, NBC Sports’ Bruce Beck, President of the WNBA Donna Orender, President of Phoenix Mercury Jay Parry, and All-Stars Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter.
“I join all WNBA players in thanking LifeLock for believing in our dream,” said Taurasi. “I’ll be proud to wear the jersey, and this great new partnership recognizes the value of our game and the power of our incredible fans.”
Taurasi was eating up the spotlight, enjoying some friendly banter with Commissioner Stern, who suggested that he’d be able to “take her.” She responded, “Not a chance.” Stern suggested ping pong, but that might end up worse for him than if he tried to play her one-on-one.
Donna Orender mentioned how the momentum of the WNBA is always increasing. Their jersey sales recently doubled. This partnership is only going to benefit the momentum the growing organization already has – and it will help to capitalize on the popularity created by Candace Parker. If this deal is worth $1 million per year for three years, how much money can the LA Sparks command? With Lisa Leslie and Parker, that figure is going to be pretty significant.
With Stern in the building, the next logical question was whether the NBA would consider a move like this. Mark Cuban recently mentioned that he’s taken a loss in recent years – and he’s been at the helm of a franchise that has recorded 50 wins in each one of those years. The Pistons struggled to get fans out to a playoff game this year against the Cavs. With issues in the economy, and ticket sales presumably suffering, would the NBA consider making the same move?
June 1st, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
I don’t like what this may lead to. I don’t want NBA, NFL, MLB, etc jerseys looking like NASCARs.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Having arenas and stadiums names after corportaions or brands is already bad enough. Besides who would buy that Kobe jersey if it says Oscar Meyer or Massengil on the front.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:32 pm
The Jed says:
They’ve been waiting to try this out with someone forever. If this helps the WNBA than it’s well worth it.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Sho-Nuff says:
Why doesn’t the WNBA just fold….oh yeah King Stern doesn’t like to admit mistakes. They barely draw 4,000 to each game.
When was the last time you saw a WNBA highlight, not a score but a highlight on Sportscenter?
June 1st, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Rare Air says:
Agreed Spliff,
This is a very dangerous game to play in my mind – Lmao I am just picturing an NBA jersey littered with sponsors like a Nascar driving suit. Now that Phoenix has done this Im sure there will be other teams that follow suit. Given tough economic times it seems sadly inevitable. I just pray this never makes it to the NBA.
Where do you draw the line between being innovative and ruining the integrity of the league(s)
June 1st, 2009 at 4:36 pm
CCB says:
Personally I think it is a great idea for the WNBA. I was really worried about the league falling to wayside. I think the next step towards saving the league is for a small television station to actually purchase rights to a Monday Night WNBA match up. The women’s game is also suffering from a lack of marketing creativity on behalf of Stern and the rest of the crew.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:42 pm
nerditry says:
@Rare Air : I’d like to know what “integrity” you place on the league and teams in regard to advertising. You’ve got bailed out banks/companies all over the world with their names plastered on jerseys (AIG for Manchester U) and stadiums (Citi Field). Those all had to be authorized by the leagues.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Sonic Reducer says:
I have to agree with Spliff… This is a bad omen.. I know it’s a business but is nothing pure anymore? Must EVERY inch of visual space be up for sale? I might sound like Naomi Klein or something but damn, enough with the brand bombing! I can’t help but feel the legendary jerseys of the future (like after LeBron, Wade etc. retire) just won’t look as classic with some random logo on it. Worse part is, we would probably just all get used to it. I can understand the WNBA doing this to generate some money, the economics are just not the same as the NBA so they need to exploit other avenues to generate some $$$. If the NBA franchises can’t turn a profit, the answer is simple. Pay players salaries in line with what they do, which is playing a game. Bring down ticket prices, the way other businesses drum up sales. A game is a game stays a game… but anyway that’s a whole other can of worms/issue, on which I’m no expert. Hopefully this logo thing is not a new developing trend…
June 1st, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Sho-Nuff — I can’t get behind the WNBA/Sportscenter argument, because it’s always been a Catch-22 for the league. The show’s decision-makers can justify never showing WNBA highlights by saying, “Nobody cares about them,” but at the same time, it’s BECAUSE Sportscenter DOESN’T show WNBA highlights that people don’t care. Just like you said, the fans are thinking, “If this was relevant, ESPN would show the highlights.” See what I mean?
Besides, ESPN has their own agendas when it comes to highlights. Remember when ESPN was airing Arena Football games, and all of a sudden Sportscenter was showing Arena Football highlights? They’re promoting their own product.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Guitar Hero says:
“Premiere League soccer teams have been doing this forever”
Premiere League? What about every team in Italy, Portugal, France, Spain, Greece, Germany, Turkey, Holland, Russia, etc?
Oh, and Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia, Mexico, etc…
June 1st, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Pig says:
They need to allow only 3 sponsors,one on the shorts and two on the shirt(main sponsor and other)
June 1st, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Rafa23 says:
@10
you are right, its absolutely standard in soccer. cant imagine it without some brands.
it would be new and unusual on nba jerseys, but im sure we would get used to it.
i mean, would it really be that bad that it would change the way we look at the nba? highly doubt it
June 1st, 2009 at 5:02 pm
TJ says:
“..and now the WNBA is blazing the train in the U.S.”
I’m pretty sure you mean blazing the trail, genius.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Rare Air says:
@nerdirty
Maybe I’m alone in this, but for me putting the sponsor name on a jersey is just going to far. Being a HUGE motor sports fan I have seen it for years in Nascar, Indy, and Formula 1. It feels worse to actually see it on a jersey in the WNBA because whats to stop this from happening in the NBA at some point. Maybe I’m lame but I just hold the NBA uniforms very sacred.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Yoooo says:
WNBA games come on ESPN, so it kinda goes against the grain of your point AB
June 1st, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Curtis G says:
I am just wondering when one of these NBA teams will get up the nuts to add one of the WNBA guards to its roster. I mean seriously, some of the women guards in the WNBA can ball and could replace some of the weaker male point guards in the league while other NBA teams wouldn’t lose a hell of a lot from at least trying them out. I know there might be some issues with after game showering (haha), but it’s nothing a multi-million dollar franchise can’t handle. Hell, if I were a manager or owner, I would have tried to get Candace Parker for my team (6′6″,can dribble, shoot, and finish STRONG at the rim). The fact that this idea hasn’t even been floated makes me think that it is forbidden somewhere in the by-laws by the Godfather himself, David Stern.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Yooo — ESPN2 at best. And even then, those are the only times you might see a highlight. I think when ESPN wants to push something, they will put it on Sportscenter, whether it’s X-games or Arena football or whatever else. They could make room for the WNBA (hell, they could make room for baseball teams outside of Boston, New York and L.A.) but they choose not to.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:13 pm
nerditry says:
@Rare Air : That’s where the difference is going to come, but to me the “sacredness” of a jersey is obviously personal and doesn’t really take hold till that player is retired.
In that same vein, which one are you rooting for when each team has and wants even more alternate colors.
The truest test for an American team has to come from baseball or football, more specifically the Yankees, Red Sox and Cowboys. Those are the iconic jerseys.
Let’s not forget that baseball had people on all sides (fans, teams, media) freaking out when there was going to be a 3-day promotion for Spiderman 2 involving the bases. That ended very quickly and had nothing to do with team or player branding (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsbusiness/news/story?id=1796765).
June 1st, 2009 at 5:13 pm
dk says:
@13 lol
@ the rest,
stop whining, who cares if Wade has a bunch of logos on his shit, if hes getting paid for it, who cares. Thats the league and the players bussiness. If the games are fun to watch and the refs arent out of control with their gambling, its all good.
@ Dime
WNBA = LMFAO
June 1st, 2009 at 5:16 pm
ianodelaleza says:
the only reason soccer teams do it because they are money whores who have ridiculous salaries to pay, i wouldnt be suprised if man utds TOTAL(players/staff) wage exceded 5 million POUNDS a week!
the reason the WNBA are doin it because they NEED money, hardy anything in the WNBA is profitable….i too do not want to see GEICO where the lakers logo is on the jersey, i think D Stern needs to announce now that the nba will never sell out its logo/jersey,
i love how most american sports dont whore out their jerseys and have their proud franchise logos on their jerseys!
June 1st, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Big Island says:
There has always been the east coast thing for ESPN. The way the NBA has marketed the players, and ESPN shows the highlights of dunks etc… has been going of for years and people complain about the team game being gone and it’s all one on one stuff. The Spurs play the team passing game and everyone hates them because it’s so bland. The WNBA is made up entirely of that style of play because none of them jump 40 inches and dunk on everything. Candace Parker isn’t doing to hit her head on the backboard.
Damn I got sidetracked… The NBA sells space on their jerseys, exclusively to adidas. The licensing of the NBA products is no different except that you are letting a team broker a deal with someone. They do it with arenas. Players get their own shoe deals. Letting the Lakers put a Google logo on their shorts for $10 mil a year doesn’t seem so bad.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:31 pm
SparkyJ23 says:
this logo isn’t going to be on the shorts its going to be across the front of the jersey
The difference is in football the front used to be blank – in basketball your replacing team city/name which is just fuckin bogus.
fold that shit up if it can’t survive….
June 1st, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Rafa23 says:
@ ianodelaleza
you were either joking or have absolztely no clue whatsoever.
there is no soccer player who gets even near the 20 million the best paid nba players make.
and your whore argument: so its a big difference to have arenas and every event named after something? playing geico at the allstar game?
June 1st, 2009 at 6:07 pm
ianodelaleza says:
to rafa23…know your role and shut your mouth
sure, the highest paid player in soccer (beckham) will probably JUST reach an NBA superstars salary (shaq), however i was talking about the WHOLE TEAM, now you take an nba teams yearly salary…the suns for example and compare that to man utds yearly salary…ill tell you whos is more expensive..UTDs!
and about the stadiums…if you havent noticed you noob, not too many nba teams OWN Their arenas they lease, and share arenas with other pro sports teams, so they dont really have a choice in the matter, the owners of the building do though
and yes i would rather have the lakers or spurs name on the jersey instead of AIG or mercedes, you can have whatever you want in the arena…ads all over the place as long as the uniforms are untouched
June 1st, 2009 at 6:33 pm
mules says:
Pioneering? umm…this isn’t the first branded American sports. The New York Red Bulls of the MLS did it a year ago. Considering Dime’s NY bias, I figured you would know that.
June 1st, 2009 at 7:46 pm
fallinup says:
“Besides who would buy that Kobe jersey if it says Oscar Meyer or Massengil on the front.”
*fallinup raises hand, looks around room…quickly puts it down and slowly creeps out the room.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:29 pm
bakedbeing says:
I’ll trade the addition of sponsors to the jerseys for the readmission of taunting into the game.
I’m tired of my sport being bleached of all personality. I get my politics from the NYTimes, and as such already have my fix of men in suits feigning politeness while they work to tear each others throats out.
That said, if the jerseys have branding it’ll be another excuse to gentrify and genericise the players.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:34 pm
bakedbeing says:
ps: For some perspective on this, recall those classic b&w images of Ali standing over Sonny Liston, cursing him out. Now bring in a ref T’ing up Ali and giving Liston two free punches. Then fine Ali’s staff for complaining afterwards.
Goddamn there’s nothing as boring as T’ing celebrations and taunts.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:52 pm
bakedbeing says:
pps: Being a first doesn’t automatically require the throwing around of the term “pioneering”. The chick at school who got pregnant in year 10 is as much a pioneer as Stern is on this.
Maybe on your next article I can get in the first comment and throw up a “PIONEER!11!1″
June 1st, 2009 at 11:37 pm
"Tha Boddy" DOCTOR LOVE!!! says:
I agree with Spliff 2 My Lou I don’t want my favorite sports teams looking like an explosion from a coupon book
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:54 am
Hey!! says:
It’s not just soccer teams that have corporate sponsorship on across the chest of their jerseys. Check out Euroleague basketball. They also have logos on their basketball jerseys.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:23 am
Sweet English says:
I dont like the looks of this either. I think football (soccer) teams show absoloutely NO pride in there own team by sprawling ‘VODAFONE’ and ‘FLYBE’ and ‘AIG’ in massive capital letter across there shirts, and then having a tiny badge in the corner with the team name. Who do you want to play for? Your town and city or an insurance broker?
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:28 am
djKianoosh says:
http://www.insideworldsoccer.com/2009/02/zlatan-ibrahimovic-and-kaka-worlds-best.html
top 10 best paid soccer players (from earlier this year), and that also doesn’t include sponsorships.
so the argument that soccer players don’t make as much as nba players isn’t true, and there’s a whoooole lot more soccer players in the world. the great thing about the NBA is that it’s such a small pool of great athletes and players, so the ’supply’ is smaller, which drives up the price.
back to topic, ya’ll will buy the 2018 Budweiser Lakers jersey. Or the 2021 Volkswagon Wizards jersey. ya’ll will buy it cause that’s what people do. it will be another collector’s item type thing. if the organization needs the money, do it. period. the game doesn’t change.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:13 am
liz says:
@dk
“WNBA = LMAO”
The best female basketball players in the world are not good enough to win your respect? Oh you must be better than them and that’s why your an NBA player, it makes sense now.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
doc says:
@curtis g-Candace Parker would get DESTROYED in the NBA.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Sacto_J says:
So much hating on the ladies’ game, I thought we’d moved past the 1950’s. Honestly all this talk about the inferiority of the WNBA and its players, but I’d wager over 98% of those posting such comments have never played a WNBA player. To concede, they aren’t the physical specimens of athleticism that Kobe, Lebron, D-Ho, or D-Wade might be, but I can personally attest to the fact that they know how to play the game from a team standpoint better than most said specimens. They can generally shoot better, pass better, and understand the nuances of offensive and defensive positioning better (due to the fact they don’t have to stand and watch a team-mate take on the other team 1 on 5.) I’m a decent baller, 4 yrs. HS and played DII level for a year, I stand almost a foot taller than Edna Campbell and I couldn’t stay in front of her or block her shot, and often got picked while trying to handle the ball, and Edna wasn’t even a starter at the time. Still, I have yet to watch a whole game or attend one personally, so there is some truth to Stern needing to stump for this league to generate more buzz. The ladies need an outlet for professional sports as much as the men do….
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:12 am
sunsetinaz says:
OK – I am not wild about logo’s other than the team’s. And certainly not more than two or three logos per team.
BUT – as an avid Mercury fan, my focus is on the team surviving financially to play another season. Money is tight everywhere – this is simply reality. The Mercury are worth the sponsorship.
It’s easy to spout off and say ‘let the league die’ – afterall it only ‘a women’s league’. It’s convenient to forget how long it took the NBA to become profitable.
These women are tough. They are survivors. They love the game and play it well. Have you watched a WNBA game recently? These women are professional. They deserve your respect and support.
Europe, Australia, and Russia are way ahead of us regarding women’s sports, demonstrated by decent salaries, benefits, TV and media coverage, and sponsors.
Getting up to speed by having sponsors is a win/win for the Mercury, LifeLock, and the WNBA.
My suggestion?
Get off your behind, invest in season tickets for this year. Actually attend all the home games, watch the away games on TV, get to know the teams, support them and their sponsors. You’ll be happy, as will the team and their sponsors. Problem solved! I knew you could figure this out!
Sponsorship -\is a good
July 6th, 2009 at 5:10 am
smoove chips says:
hate where this is headed.
four things I need on my NBA jersey
1.team logo
2.player name
3.player number
4.optional could do without(outfitter nike,reebok whatever in small logo at bottom of jersey.)
that’s it.otherwise it ain’t worth it anymore esp if you gon have a diff sponsor every year.