Sports

WNBA Sponsor Deals Jump 52% Since 2022, According to Report

Published

5 months ago

July 25, 2025

WNBA Sponsor Deals Jump 52% Since 2022, According to Report

When WNBA players say they want a greater percentage of growing league revenue, a portion of that comes from sponsorship deals that have increased 52% since 2022.

In its first-ever WNBA Partnerships Report-released just after the league’s 2025 All-Star Weekend-sports and entertainment sponsorship data platform SponsorUnited placed the value of WNBA sponsorships at the end of 2024 at $76 million. Its teams averaged more than 44 sponsor deals apiece, but that number is expanding rapidly.

The report noted that in 2024 alone, following Caitlin Clark’s Rookie of the Year campaign with the Indiana Fever, sponsorship deals increased 17%, league attendance was up 48%, ESPN viewership jumped 170%, and merchandise sales rose by 600%. More than 450 brands signed 531 deals with teams, with the Phoenix Mercury, Las Vegas Aces, and Fever taking in the most brand revenue.

Brands themselves spent bigger, with Ally Financial signing on as the Aces’ official banking partner and placing its logo on the team’s jersey patches and training center. The WNBA alone accounted for 25% of all of Ally’s marketing spend across major sports, but grew even greater when Ally became the league’s banking partner this April.

Eli Lilly, meanwhile, invested in a jersey patch for its hometown Fever and spends 75% of its sports budget within the WNBA-where it sponsored mobile mammograms in Indianapolis during All-Star Weekend. Eli Lilly’s support of the Fever is three times that of its spending on their Gainbridge Fieldhouse roommates, the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.

Disney, Google, Etsy, and More Brands Rush the Court at WNBA All-Star

SponsorUnited founder and CEO Bob Lynch sees both seasoned sports sponsors and brands that haven’t traditionally gravitated toward the space drawn to the “29-year-old startup” of the WNBA by its fairly low price of entry and lack of category competition At the same time, a new generation of women’s college basketball players is signing name, image, and likeness rights while in school and bringing those brands into the WNBA with them.

“Essentially, it becomes a minor league feeder system for brands that are now starting to say, ‘We were able to do a very low-cost deal with a women’s college basketball athlete. It worked well. We can replicate this with other athletes. Maybe we should do more with the teams in a more integrated way than just social content and appearances,’” Lynch said, noting his initial inspiration for the report. “That’s really feeding into this, and what I saw was this coming wave of commerce that was going to come into the WNBA.”

New players, new game

As much as the Fever and the Caitlin Clark effect are often credited for the WNBA’s uptick in both interest and revenue, when it comes to sheer volume of brand deals, Clark doesn’t crack the starting five. Clark’s fellow 2024 rookie Chicago Sky all-star Angel Reese leads the league with 22 brand partnerships, including McDonald’s, Amazon, and Beats by Dre. The New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart shares the lead with Reese at 22, bringing in Ally, Delta Airlines, and Peloton. Two other members of the Class of 2024-the Los Angeles Sparks’ Cameron Brink and the Sky’s Kamilla Cardoso-have 20 deals apiece, including SoFi, Hulu, AT&T, and Sephora.

Even Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers has higher sponsorship volume than Clark, counting Gatorade, Intuit, and Uber among her 18 deals. Of those five players, four of them have entered the WNBA within the last two years.

That’s a pattern that’s drifting over to social media as well. Among the 10 WNBA athletes that brands engage with most on platforms, six (Bueckers, Reese, Brink, Clark, Cardoso, and the Sky’s Hailey Van Lith) are first- or second-year players. According to Lynch, not only is that the opposite of other major leagues like the NBA, where the biggest social media draws, including LeBron James and Stephen Curry, are nearing the end of their careers, but it’s lucrative.

Looking across major sports leagues, Lynch found that the average NBA team generates $4 in sponsorship revenue for every social media follower they have. In the NFL, it’s $9. For the WNBA, where Lynch compares the impact of Caitlin Clark to that of Lionel Messi on MLS, it’s $10.

“It’s a passionate, totally engaged group and as they expand and scale their social following, they’ll get the trickle-down effect of the players coming in and bringing their fans to the teams,” Lynch said. “That star power is going to start to lead to more and more fans, which they’re going to be able to capitalize on, but they do a pretty good job-they’re a small but mighty group monetizing what they have right now.”

How Unrivaled Scored an Underdog Win at WNBA All-Star Weekend

The game ahead

Lynch noted that the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this year, the arrival of the Toronto Tempo in 2026, and the recently announced expansions into Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia should have an immediate positive impact on WNBA revenue-as should new media rights deals.

The expiration of long-tenured, discounted legacy brand deals should also increase sponsorship value going forward, but Lynch said there’s plenty of room for more investment. The average men’s team has 100 sponsor deals, compared to a league-high 92 for the Fever. But that’s quickly changing: Much as the Pacers Sports & Entertainment group is able to use sales and marketing resources across leagues and teams to bring in more sponsors, the Washington Mystics’ owners at Monumental Sports have driven 65 sponsorships using similar strategy.

While WNBA teams owned by groups like PS&E, Monumental, the Liberty’s Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, and the Valkyries’ Golden State have certain advantages through shared resources with NBA teams, Lynch says both they and independent teams like the Chicago Sky (57 sponsors) face obstacles that may have similar solutions.

WNBA teams generally do not own their buildings, limiting the amount of revenue they’re able to draw from them and making their business model different than even the National Women’s Soccer League, where the Kansas City Current built and owns its facility.

But Lynch sees a path forward from his early work with another league that also didn’t own its facilities: UFC.

Lynch noted that UFC initially worked with its fighters to incentivize social media, sponsorships, and revenue growth and create a model in which both the league and the fighters benefited. The SponsorUnited CEO sees an answer somewhat similar to college name, image, and likeness rights for sponsorships and even ticketing, where the WNBA and its players can develop a yet-unused plan for sharing revenue, giving players a bigger piece of the revenue while assuring WNBA owners and investors continued to share in the league’s growth.

“You got to come out and say, ‘Look, we’re both stakeholders. We know where we’re at.’ There’s alignment. There’s transparency there,” Lynch said. “How are we going from $76 million to $760 million over the next 10 years, and how are we doing it alongside our players so we’re both benefiting from it?”

WNBA All-Star Player Pay Moves Began Well Before Shirts and Signs

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Discipline and determination drive track and classroom success for graduating student-athlete

Published

1 hour ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

KENNESAW, Ga. |
Dec 16, 2025

Balancing the demands of Division I athletics with a rigorous academic program is
no small task. For graduating senior Grant Crabtree, discipline became the foundation
for success both on the track and in the classroom.

Born in Panama City, Florida, and raised in Douglasville, Georgia, Crabtree discovered early that running came naturally. He joined the local “Road Runners” youth track team in elementary school and continued competing through middle and high school, where distance running became his strongest event.

“Over time, I continued to get better,” Crabtree said. “I figured it was something I could do at the collegiate level.”

Crabtree began college at Augusta University as a biology major before realizing he
wanted a more hands-on academic path. His interest in building and problem-solving
drew him toward engineering. That led him to transfer to Kennesaw State University
to major in mechanical engineering and join the men’s cross country and track and field teams as a walk-on.

The move placed him within the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, where he took on the challenge of balancing high-level athletics with a demanding
academic load.

“I knew I could be a good runner, but I also knew engineering was where I wanted to be,” he said. “Walking on at KSU meant proving myself in both places, and I was ready for that challenge.”

Over the next three years, Crabtree became one of the top distance runners in program
history. He set school records in the indoor 3000-meter, outdoor 5000-meter, indoor
distance medley relay, and tied the outdoor 1500-meter record. He also earned ASUN
Conference All-Academic Honors and played a key role in helping the Owls secure the
2024 ASUN Conference indoor and outdoor championships.

“It was surreal,” he said. “To win the conference championship and be part of something that special makes me proud of my teammates. We all put in the hard work together.”

Managing the pace of athletics and engineering required careful planning and communication.
Morning practices were followed by classes, labs, and long study sessions. Crabtree
regularly met with professors before traveling for meets in order to stay on track
academically.

His most meaningful academic experience came during senior design, where his team
addressed road safety. They developed a roadside wind turbine system that captures
airflow from passing cars and trucks, converting it into energy for roadway safety
signals. The project gave him the chance to apply years of engineering coursework
to a real-world problem and reflect on how his work ethic supported both academic
and athletic success.

Crabtree’s approach embodies the values of SPCEET.

“Our engineering students run through labs, collaborate on real-world design projects, and tackle rigorous coursework,” SPCEET Dean Lawrence Whitman said. “Grant accomplished all of this while competing at the highest level of collegiate athletics.”

In addition to his coursework, Crabtree served as an ambassador for the National Council
of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, speaking with younger students about the
importance of licensure and the long-term value of a strong academic foundation.

Beyond academics, distance running shaped some of his closest friendships. He credits
his teammates and coaches for creating the support system that carried him through
demanding seasons, tight travel schedules, and important races. Those relationships
remain a part of his KSU experience that he values most.

Crabtree has already begun his professional journey with Cleveland Electric as an
assistant project manager and plans to continue building his career in the electrical
contracting industry after graduation.

Reflecting on his time at KSU, he hopes his experience encourages others to stay committed
to their goals even during difficult periods.

“There are going to be hard times, but it gets easier,” he said. “As long as you stay consistent, organized, and dedicated, it will all pan out.”

– Story by Raynard Churchwell

Photos by Matt Yung

Why On Is Entering Football

Published

6 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Hi everyone, welcome back to SportsVerse, my twice-weekly newsletter that tells stories you can’t find anywhere else about the intersection of sports, fashion, business, and culture. This will be the final SportsVerse edition of 2025 (unless I decide to put a special edition out in the event of big industry news, which often happens around this time of year). I wanted to say thank you again to everyone who has engaged with this newsletter since January. It’s been so much fun seeing it grow and grow and grow. I’ll catch you all in 2026 for more. And if you need best-in-class sports culture analysis and fun content in the meantime, be sure to sign up for OffBall’s daily newsletter, written by the incredible Ashtyn Butuso, edited by yours truly. Peace.

When On first entered the tennis category after attracting investment from Roger Federer in 2019, it became clear that the brand had ambitions far greater than dominating just the running footwear market where it first made a name for itself. When the Swiss sneaker company began branching out into high-end fashion collaborations with the likes of Loewe, Beams and Post Archive Faction, it also became apparent that the brand had intentions far greater than simply producing performance shoes and apparel for sports.

Very early on, the brand’s founders and executive team set out a strategy that, if executed correctly, would see the once-niche disruptor brand from Zurich transform itself into a bona fide sportswear powerhouse, taking its place alongside the likes of Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and others.

For years, I’d wondered which sport the brand would look to for its next expansion. Naturally, I asked all the On executives and co-founders whenever I came across them in meetings or interviews, but they all remained tight lipped (a wise decision) while adding that the brand was always assessing new sports or categories for potential growth.

I’d been told that a lot of (very serious) golfers compete in the On’s training and running shoes, so I wondered if it could be that. But late last week, On gave the biggest indication yet of its next big move, with its surprise signing of Sydney Schertenleib, a fast rising star of FC Barcelona and the Swiss national team.

The 18-year-old is joining On specifically as an ambassador to promote the brand’s training and lifestyle collections, meaning we won’t be seeing On products on the football pitch just yet. It also doesn’t mean that two years from now, On will be churning out football gear and boots (cleats) for athletes or the general public. But make no mistake, On’s signing of Schertenleib — the first deal of any kind for On in football — was a very intentional play and a major indication of its trajectory.

Yes. Signing Schertenleib presents a perfect opportunity for On to begin lightly introducing its brand to the football world, opening the door to scores of fans and consumers who may not have bought products from — or even heard of — the brand so far. It’s relatively low risk and low cost, since it’s not like On will be investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into R&D to develop and market football products, given she will simply be endorsing the brand’s training and lifestyle clothing, which already exists. Schertenleib is expected to continue wearing Adidas boots in-game.

This is a key growth category for On. Training and lifestyle essentially = sports-inspired fashion gear for everyday use, either in the gym, around the house or out and about. It’s the category that generates the lion’s share of sales for sportswear powerhouses, which is helping scale On from a specialist footwear maker into an all-round sportswear giant that will generate over $3 billion in annual revenue this year. It’s the reason why the brand has pushed hard into popular culture and lifestyle over the past 18 months, signing big-ticket ambassadors from Zendaya to FKA Twigs to Burna Boy, splashing out on multi-million dollar Super Bowl ads.

Schertenleib is clearly an outlier when placed against the above names. But her signing makes a lot of sense. She’s a generational talent with the footballing world at her feet. On is getting in early, backing her while she’s still a young talent and hoping to benefit tenfold from the association down the line. She is also the first athlete to be signed to specifically promote training and apparel, rather than a sport like tennis or track and field. This is a smart move: it’s all well and good using famous actors or music stars to promote lifestyle and training gear, but no one underscores the authenticity and credibility of sportswear better than an elite, highly marketable athlete.

Yes. She fits the profile that On is looking for when it comes to assembling its next-gen roster of ultra-marketable Gen-Z athlete talent.

For many years now, On has been executing a strategy to find elite sporting talent who may have been overlooked or undervalued by other brands in the market. These athletes represent major upside potential for a brand like On, making it a very mutually beneficial partnership. The brand is building a unique roster of the next

We saw it happen with Ben Shelton, who has publicly admitted he never wanted to be one of 30 other tennis players in Nike’s roster, and has steadily grown to represent On’s ambitious brand building in the world of tennis as his own stature in the game — and wider culture — has grown. 23-year-old Swiss hurdler Ditaji Kambundji signed for On in January this year, again helping the brand speak to a younger audience through her compelling social media content, and providing an instant return in a sporting sense with her gold medal showing at the World Championships.

Sydney Joy Schertenleib on Instagram: “BTS archives, loved it! …

Schertenleib aligns with both the age profile and the style of athlete that On is looking for right now — young, highly marketable and with the world at her feet. At just 18 years old, she has amassed over 460,000 followers on Instagram alone, and has already started promoting the brand with collaborative content on the platform. Her choice to sign with On is a reflection of her savvy ambitions for her own personal brand, knowing she will get far greater marketing focus at a brand like On rather than Adidas or Nike.

That’s that for today, friends. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

See you next time,

DYM

Also, shoutout to Cherry Beagles and her incredible platform, The 400 Club, for including SportsVerse in the holiday season’s “gift ideas for the sports girl.”

The 400 Club on Instagram: “Gift ideas for the sports girl ✨”

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Slekis Announces 2026 T&F Slates & Staff Updates

Published

7 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls State University track and field coach Stefanie Slekis announced the 2026 schedule along with the hiring of assistant coach Cameron Bolt on Monday afternoon.

Nicholls will compete in two in state meets and two out of state meets for the indoor season. The teams will begin the season in Baton Rouge at the LSU Purple Tiger on Jan.16 followed by the McNeese Indoor II on Jan. 30. The Colonels will cross state lines to compete in the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Samford University on Feb. 13 before concluding the season at the Southland Conference Championship on Feb. 25-26.

The outdoor season is action packed with three out of state completion’s and four instate events. The Red & Gray will begin outdoor action at the Louisiana Classics hosted by Louisiana in Lafayette on March 20-21. Next, the squads will open the month of April in Austin, Texas at the Texas Relays on April 1-4. The Colonels return to the boot for the Pelican Relays (4/10-11), Strawberry Relays (4/17), and the LSU Alumni Gold (4/25). Nicholls will wrap up regular season action at Texas A&M’s Alumni Muster in College Station, Texas on May 1-2. The Southland Conference Championship is in Nacogdoches, Texas on May 14.

Coach Slekis is looking forward to the new season with some new opportunities for her student-athletes. Bolt joins the staff after coaching over 200 National qualifiers, 15 All-Americans, four National Champions. Additionally, he is the owner of Bolt Track and Field Club team that he started in 2023 and has had more than 20 National qualifiers.

We are so excited for our 2026 Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field schedule. For our schedule we changed up the second half of both our Indoor and Outdoor seasons from the past few years,” Slekis said. “Indoor we will head to Birmingham to compete at Samford’s Bulldog invitational which will give our team the opportunity to test themselves on the facility we will return to for the indoor championship. Outdoor we close out the season at two of the best SEC track & field programs in the country who have phenomenal facilities. Going first to LSU and then bringing full teams to Texas A & M for the Alumni Muster. Before we return to Texas for the Southland Championship hosted by SFA.”

Coach Slekis gave her overall thoughts on the addition of Coach Bolt and how he can help the team improve.

“We are changing things up a bit this year and I am also really excited to see how well our student-athletes perform this season especially our track & field only student-athletes who had the entire fall semester working with our new assistant coach Cameron Bolt,” Slekis said. “Cam comes with a wealth of knowledge as a young coach who founded his own track & field club and continuously worked to prepare himself for his first NCAA Division I collegiate coaching opportunity. His energy combined with his knowledge base make him a phenomenal hire. He understands how to develop student-athletes and maximize their potential. Through fall testing his event group has seen improvement across the board so it will be fun to see that hard work translate to their specific events this next semester.”

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Wisconsin volleyball beats Texas in four to reach Final Four

Published

9 hours ago

December 16, 2025

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Four Zips Named to the 2025 Academic All-MAC Volleyball Team

Published

9 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced the 78 student-athletes placed on the Academic All-MAC Team for the 2025 volleyball season, as Martina Villani, Gabby Brissett, Vanessa Del Real and Sarah Bettis represented the University of Akron.

The Academic All-MAC honor is awarded to a student-athlete who has excelled in both athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests in that sport.

Martina Villani, Junior Criminology and Criminal Justice, 3.861

Gabby Brissett, Senior, Biology, 3.745

Vanessa Del Real, Junior, Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, 3.81

Sarah Bettis, Junior, Biomedical Science, 3.363

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Five Rockets Receive Academic All-MAC Honors

Published

9 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women’s volleyball team had five student-athletes named to the Academic All-MAC team for the 2025 season, the league office announced on Monday.

Senior Macy Medors led the Rockets, tallying a 3.989 GPA as she earned her third conference honor. Anna Alford and Sierra Pertzborn received the honor for a second-consecutive season. Grace Freiberger and Olivia Heitkamp were named honorees for the first time.

To qualify, student-athletes must be a sophomore or higher academic standing, have maintained a 3.20 cumulative GPA or higher and competed in 50% of contests during the 2025 season.

2025 Toledo Women’s Volleyball Academic All-MAC Team

Anna Alford, Senior, Public Health Management, 3.415

Grace Freiberger, Sophomore, Recreational Therapy, 3.909

Olivia Heitkamp, Sophomore, Early Childhood Education, 3.501

Macy Medors, Senior, Recreational Therapy, 3.989

Sierra Pertzborn, Redshirt Sophomore, Nursing, 3.558