Power Forward Women’s basketball is at a crossroads, and WNBA player and union president Nneka Ogwumike is ready for the challenge.
THE BUSINESS OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL has never been more powerful—or more in flux. Both the WNBA and the NCAA college tournament posted record viewership numbers last season, with the NCAA final alone pulling in 9.9 million viewers, a sign of the sport’s surging fandom. Name, image, and likeness (NIL) endorsement deals on the college level, meanwhile, have raised the profiles of younger players to unprecedented levels; a star like Louisiana State University forward Angel Reese is commanding brand contracts that value her at an estimated $1.6 million. As these players prepare to enter the professional ranks—with outsize voices and platforms—nneka Ogwumike is committed to making the WNBA a welcoming environment. The 33-year-old forward for the Los Angeles Sparks has shaped the pro league since being drafted No. 1 in 2012, after helping to lead Stanford to four Final Four appearances. She won a championship with the Sparks in 2016, along with the MVP award, and has made the all-star team eight times. As president of the Players Association, a position she’s held since 2016, Ogwumike has been a vocal advocate for social justice issues and helped lead negotiations for the WNBA’S historic 2020 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). As she prepares for her sport’s pivotal next phase, she talks about the rise of NIL, the WNBA’S approach to marketing, and her priorities for the next CBA.
The WNBA recently signed a three-year, $39 million deal with Ion network to televise Friday-night games—a contract that values each game significantly more than the league’s ongoing deal with ESPN, which airs regular season games as well as the playoffs and finals. What happens when that ESPN contract expires in 2025?
People are watching us. People are tuning in. People want to find our games. They want to know who we are as players, both on and off the court. I hope the cultural demand drives us to have leverage in our expiring deal [with ESPN]. We are also proving that there is value in what we are doing. People like to consider the return [on investment] when it comes to women in sports, even though that doesn’t matter as much on the men’s side.
That cultural demand requires visibility, which is one of the reasons it’s so important to have broadcasting deals that make women’s games more accessible.
Yeah, for sure. The accessibility and visibility—sometimes I try to wrap my brain around what is more important. Because I think that’s another interchangeable relationship. It’s very important for people to know that we exist. It’s also important to not make it difficult to find us. We make it so hard to find us. It’s crazy, because I have friends who tell me, “Man, it’s hard to be a fan.” I hate to hear that.
What’s special about the WNBA fandom?
Our fans are real. They’re incredibly devoted and transparent. I think it’s because we are ourselves with them. Because a lot of women’s sports lack resources, we understand the importance of maintaining a relationship with people who support us.
Do you think brands recognize the power of that relationship?
Lately, maybe. Earlier, probably not. There was so much comparison with the NBA. But now that people are seeing with NIL what things can look like for women at the college level, there’s almost this kind of desperation to ensure that that happens at the professional level.