How the WNBA brought on blue-chip sponsors amid CBA negotiation uncertainty

The WNBA’s 28th season in 2024 was a break-out one, marking the pro debut of several bona fide superstars as fans and sponsors rushed the league.

The 29th season in 2025, though, was even bigger. There was more record-breaking viewership and further sponsorship changes, with brands signing bigger deals with longer timelines. All in, there was about a 40% YoY increase in sponsorship revenue, according to WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison.

She expects that trend to continue this year, as the league welcomes blue-chip brands like Procter & Gamble, Mars, and Amazon Web Services in its 30th season.

“We have moved from this idea of potential to proof,” Edison told Marketing Brew. “They’ve seen the impact of partnering with the WNBA for all of these other businesses, and they don’t want to miss out.”

While surging fandom and sponsorship case studies have helped attract new brands to the W, this offseason had “a little bit of turbulence,” as Edison put it, as CBA negotiations took longer than expected and sparked moments of tension between players and league leadership.

With a seven-year deal now ratified, the season officially tips off today—bringing with it several landmark sponsorships.

New players

WNBA fans are likely to clock a few new heavyweight sponsors around the court this season. They include:

• P&G, which announced a “multiyear, multi-brand partnership” last month, building off of portfolio company Mielle’s sponsorship dating back to 2023.
• Mars Snacking’s M&M’s brand as the “official chocolate partner” of the W.
• And Skechers, which announced a multiyear deal earlier this week under an agreement that will see players rep the footwear brand on the court, Edison said.

“When we first started this thing, you rarely saw WNBA talent in media campaigns,” she said. “Now, I think 85% to 95% of the brands utilize WNBA talent in their storytelling, and I think storytelling is the biggest difference here. The game on the court is the strongest that it’s ever been, and we know these athletes have very full lives off the court.”

Look no further than the Met Gala Monday night, where WNBA players including A’ja Wilson, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers graced the carpet. Meanwhile, brands like State Farm, which rolled out a new basketball campaign starring Caitlin Clark today, are capitalizing on that level of household-name fame.

The kinds of brands partnering up with the W isn’t the only noticeable shift this season. Historically, many major WNBA sponsors had partnered with the NBA as well, but as popularity for women’s basketball has grown, it’s common for deals to just be for the W. In 2022, when Edison started at the league, there was one WNBA-only sponsor. Now, there are 11, including P&G, Mars, and Skechers.

Additionally, the W is growing its Changemakers program, a sponsorship tier made up of brands that pledge to support the league beyond financial commitments. On Thursday, Amazon Web Services became the seventh Changemaker, joining brands like Ally, CarMax, and Deloitte.

Courting

The nature of partnership conversations and deal structures have changed as well, according to Edison. With the league in a phase of “hypergrowth,” she said, general education conversations with potential sponsors are still happening, but they’re more centered on ensuring brand alignment rather than explaining how the league operates. At this point in the W’s evolution, Edison said she’s looking for brands that can help support the “entire ecosystem,” which includes fans and players.

“We are now thinking about partnerships, not just as an asset and a rate card, but really [for] co-creating platforms that serve to tell player stories, increase fan engagement, and are grounded in authenticity,” she said.

Naturally, CBA negotiations came up in the course of those brand conversations this offseason. Edison said her team approached those discussions by highlighting the fact that brand and media partners help fund player compensation, while assuring them the CBA deal would get done.

“It was a lot of hand-holding, and a lot of transparency,” but ultimately helped to build more trust between the league and its sponsors, Edison said. While her team has done some heavy lifting to get major deals signed ahead of this season, the W’s place in pop culture has also contributed to the effort, she said.

Being in the spotlight isn’t always positive, but “being part of the zeitgeist, being part of those water-cooler conversations” has meant that the W is “no longer a brand that is overlooked,” Edison told us.

“That sometimes means you’re getting tons of negative feedback, but it means you’ve made it,” she said.