Power players

The GIST: Another group has entered the WNBA expansion chat. Yesterday, the NHL’s Nashville Predators’ chairman and former Tennessee state governor Bill Haslam and wife Crissy announced a bid to bring the W’s 16th team to Nashville, Tennessee. Music to our ears.

The details: The ownership collective — dubbed the “Tennessee Summitt” after former University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt — comprises celebrity investors with Nashville ties, like former Vols athletes Candace Parker and Peyton Manning as well as Nashville-based country music stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

• All involved have extensive business resumes: Parker heads Adidas Women’s Basketball, Manning has been adding to his portfolio, and McGraw launched a Skydance-backed media company in 2023. Experienced and motivated ownership makes all the difference — just ask the Bhathals, whose NBA connections helped them win Portland’s WNBA bid.

The city: Nashville isn’t exactly a crowded sports market, which could play in the city’s favor. There’s also avid Vols fandom the WNBA could cater to: Its women’s hoops team has placed top eight in average home attendance for 28 consecutive seasons (through 2023). WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert offered rave reviews of the city last May and deemed it a candidate for a future franchise.

• Plus, Nashville is hosting the Athletes Unlimited (AU) Pro Basketball season next month, becoming the first AU host city without an existing W franchise. And like Parker, five AU players headlining in Music City have Tennessee ties, including Las Vegas Aces star Alysha Clark.

Zooming out: Nashville is entering a chaotic bidding war for the W’s final expansion bid (for now), joining major sports markets like Philadelphia, Houston, and Kansas City. It makes sense why Haslam and others want to be in the WNBA business: The Golden State Valkyries sold a record 20K season ticket deposits before ever hitting the court, and Portland is catching up.

• Metrics like engagement, attendance, and viewership are all on the rise, with the most recent expansion cities already reaping the benefits. Call it Cashville.

The GIST: A new Nielsen report illustrates how Black Americans are “power TV viewers” who consume video content at a higher rate than the general population and are loyal women’s sports fans. In fact, they have been a critical demographic in driving the growth of women’s basketball over time and have favored committed advertisers in the space. Let’s dive in.

▶️ YouTube is a key platform. According to the report, Black American viewers spent a higher percentage of their total “television” time on the platform (13%) than U.S. viewers overall (10%), and a higher percentage of Black consumers (44%) purchased a product or service advertised on YouTube compared to all users (32%).

🛍️ Recommendations and endorsements are par for the course. Not only are a majority of Black sports fans (51%) likely to endorse or recommend a brand to others, but they’re also 7% more likely to buy from a brand associated with one of their favorite sports.

🏀 Women’s basketball audience growth varies by demographic because Black Americans have been here. While overall deliveries for NCAA women’s March Madness rose 89% in 2024, it grew 51% among Black viewers. Similarly, overall deliveries skyrocketed 307% for the 2024 WNBA Draft but increased 161% among Black American viewers specifically.

• Still, interest among Black audiences has been steadily on the rise. In 2024, Black American viewers comprised 34% of W viewership on ESPN networks and 45% of ION viewership in 2024, while WNBA viewership among Black Americans grew 67% YoY.

Zooming out: According to Sportico, Black Americans wield $1.98T in buying power, which is expected to rise to nearly $3T by 2030. As an active and engaged demographic with so much spending potential, sports marketers need to consider women’s basketball campaigns that will speak to Black audiences, especially ones that amplify Black players.

• Angel Reese, for example, has been tapped as a rising icon at the intersection of Black culture and sport, and brands are taking notice. The TikTok aficionado is reportedly worth well over $2M thanks to countless brand deals, from high fashion collabs to her recent historic deal with McDonald’s. Lovin’ it.

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