Sleigh all day

The GIST: After seeing its best viewership in 21 years — and the NBA’s instant audience boost for its inaugural In-Season Tournament — the WNBA is ready to revamp its own in-season tourney. On Monday, the league announced an expanded fourth iteration of the Commissioner’s Cup that includes five matchups for each team. Splash.

The format: The 2024 Commissioner’s Cup will feature 30 total games during two weeks in June. Every WNBA team will play against one in-conference rival, and the best squads from each conference will play for $500K in the Cup final on June 25th.

• This is a departure from the previous format in which 10 contests of each team’s 40-game season counted toward the tournament. The franchises with the highest win percentage in each conference then battled it out for the title.

• The condensed format should emulate the hype of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, which divided the league’s 30 teams into six groups that played two stages over a month-long period. Notably, NBA players were competing for $500K each, compared to the $500K prize shared by the entire winning Commissioner’s Cup team.

The rationale: The NBA borrowed the WNBA’s in-season tournament concept to generate buzz during a slow part of its season, creating high stakes and a dramatic storyline that captivated audiences. The tournament’s intensive marketing worked: The championship game averaged 4.5M viewers, making it the most-watched non-Christmas contest in nearly six years. Sleigh.

The takeaway: Although it was a W original, the NBA refined the concept of an in-season tournament, turning it into a winning marketing play that the WNBA can learn from. It’s another example of the leagues’ circular relationship, and if the remodeled Commissioner’s Cup is anything like the NBA’s, there should be multiple sponsors lining up to get in on the growing fandom and viewership.

The GIST: This week, star English goalkeeper Mary Earps finally opened up about the Nike kit fiasco following the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC). ICYMI, the brand didn’t sell Earps’ jersey during the competition, but eventually listened to fan demand and watched the kit sell out immediately — twice. A teachable moment.

The mistake: England’s national team had an incredible WWC run all the way to the title match against Spain. Fans were particularly obsessed with Earps, the clutch goalkeeper who kept scores low and spirits high during the tournament. Her heroic efforts earned her FIFA’s Golden Glove award and England Women’s Player of the Year award.

• Despite the hype, Nike only offered kits of outfield players during the WWC, leaving passionate Earps fans unable to support their favorite player. While goalies may be woefully underappreciated in soccer fandom, the love for Earps was unmatched — but Nike was a little late to the party.

The public outcry: When Earps fans couldn’t buy her jersey, they took the problem all the way to Parliament. In August, over 150K people signed a teenage fan’s petition calling for Nike to release Earps’ jersey. Member of Parliament and a former sports minister, Tracey Crouch, even submitted a motion to support this request. Another stock run required.

The brand response: Nike listened to the demand from fans and, recognizing a missed opportunity, released Earps’ kit two months later. This did not come without issues, however — Nike didn’t advertise the release, but they still sold out within minutes. Earps didn’t even know the jerseys were dropping, and neither did the young fan who made it all possible.

• Earps said she believes the brand learned its lesson, stating that a major company like Nike wouldn’t address the oversight unless it too saw it as an “injustice.” She acknowledged that Nike eventually got it right thanks to the Lionesses’ dedicated supporters. Roaring applause.

The takeaway: Nike may not have anticipated that one of the WWC’s biggest stars would be a goalkeeper, but eventually pivoting was the right move from both a brand and fan perspective, even if the rollout was rocky. But to avoid the drama in the future, brands should prepare to give all team players the spotlight before tentpole moments so they can shine their brightest.

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