Women's National Basketball Association

An Examination of the Evolution of the

On April 24, 1996, the National Basketball Association (NBA) approved the concept and formation of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), with play to begin in June of 1997. With only 15 months from the announcement of the league's formation to its first tip-off, the officials who were to manage the new league had much to do: they needed to recruit and hire players, establish franchises in key markets, acquire broadcast partners and sponsors, and create a viable seasonal game schedule (WNBA, 2000). More significantly, perhaps, the founders of the league and its supporters (as well as its players) had to convince the American public that women's basketball was going to be as exciting, as challenging, and as appealing as the long-established NBA.

Before a single player was signed, or a staff member in place, the WNBA attended to the business of acquiring and then announcing its broadcast partners - NBC, ESPN, and Lifetime. Without broadcast partners, it was recognized that the league had little chance of success. Other, earlier efforts to establish a strong presence (and audience) for women's professional sports had made it abundantly clear that exposure was a primary concern if millions of potential fans were to be convinced that women's sports were as "worthwhile" as those played by males (McConville, 1996). This was then, and may well still be, the most di

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ip sponsors have remained loyal. This includes Sears, General Motors, Lady Foot Locker, and L'Oreal. Industry experts put the value of national contracts for the WNBA at about $25 million over three years ("For the WNBA," 2000). Lefton (2000) reported that when L'Oreal agreed in 2000 to a new three-year sponsorship, WNBA sponsorship reached a 90 percent sold out level with respect to television inventory in mid-2000. The NBA, through its marketing division, was also targeting the technology/telecom/dot-com sector as potential WNBA sponsors, while planning to keep some minimal television inventory in reserve. The blue-chip sponsorship roster of the WNBA also includes American Express, Anheuser-Busch, Gatorade, Spaulding, and American General. Lefton (2000) also pointed out that a new league promotional slogan and campaign, "What You Got," is using WNBA stars like Nikki McCray to solicit fan scripts or finished promotional spots. This move is seen as having the capacity to create greater intimacy between players and/or teams and their fans. The success of this strategy was described by Petrecca and Watson (2000). The do-it-yourself advertising approach was designed to let fans express their passion for the WNBA, accor

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