There has been some conversation around the WNBA about the recent lack of signature shoe deals for Black WNBA players compared to their White counterparts. This is just part of a larger argument about the lack of respect Black women receive in the sport of women’s basketball. It has become enough of an issue that even White female star athletes have taken notice and begun to speak out.
In her 2021 ESPY Awards speech for best college athlete in women’s sports, University of Connecticut star Paige Bueckers highlighted that she wants to shed light on Black women who don’t get the media coverage they deserve. Some data support this conclusion. A University of Massachusetts Amherst study on the 2020 season found that White players received double the media mentions even though Black players won 80 percent of the postseason awards that year.
Is this possibly impacting who gets shoe contracts?
A History of Signature Shoes in the WNBA
In 1995, Sheryl Swoopes became the first WNBA player to receive a signature shoe deal (see Table 1). Over the next 15 years, nine more WNBA players received signature shoe contracts. Seven of the women were Black and two were of Hispanic descent. At that time, Nike, Reebok, and Fila were the only shoe brands to sign WNBA players to signature shoe deals. Of the players who signed contracts with Nike, only Dawn Staley and Chamique Holdsclaw did not win a WNBA championship. Rebecca Lobo and Nikki McCray, who were signed to Reebok and Fila, respectively, also did not win a championship.
Table 1: WNBA Player Signature Shoe Deals
Source: Created by Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race.
Since 2022, five WNBA players have signed signature shoe deals, four with Nike and one with Puma. Nike continues to dominate the market; however, now instead of mostly Black WNBA players, three of the four players recently signed to signature shoe deals are White.
Follow The Likes
The attention given to White female athletes may be influenced by media bias, but it’s unlikely that is the sole reason. In women’s basketball, the fan base has significant influence in determining which athletes are more marketable and receive attention, along with advertising opportunities. Individuals aged 18–34 make up nearly half of WNBA fans and 8 out of 10 fans are younger than 55. This is significant because of the social media presence of this age group and how important social media has become to marketing. The 2023 Annual Study of Sports Fans by the Sports Business Research Network highlights that WNBA fans demonstrate more consistent engagement with social media compared to fans of other leagues. Additionally, they show higher rates of sponsorship influence.
Two Forces Working Together
The media’s increased focus on White athletes may result in higher online engagement surrounding those players, as fans interact with the media and other fans. This could potentially lead to companies investing more in these players over others based solely off of social media engagement.
This situation is interesting and worth tracking in the years to come.
