We reach mid-July and the lull comes up again; the quietest two days in terms of games in North America. The two days (used to be one) after the MLB All-Star Game are the days with almost no professional game in North America…there is Wimbledon, a smattering of WNBA and NBA Summer League, a little early round golf, and the ESPY’s…but that’s it.
Until the U.S. Women’s National Team won the World Cup Sunday, and found themselves with an uncrowded stage to own on the quietest day in the U.S. in sports on the calendar. “Luck is the residue of design,” as another sports business disruptor, Branch Rickey once said as he brought Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers and changed the face of sport, literally, and the longtime work that went into getting the USWNT to take a loud position on a quiet day was a longtime in coming. No overnight success here, and lots of work to do to see where this evolution, much more than a revolution goes.
As the Parade plays out in the Canyon of Heroes on Wednesday and the stars of the team jet across the country to join the ESPY’s celebration before going back to play for their NWSL teams and then prep for their next international match only a few weeks away, it will be interesting to see how far the needle and the opportunity has moved.
As Christine Brennan pointed out in USA Today, the equal pay issue for playing on the national team should be an easy settlement point, and is well deserved, but where else can this title and the platform be leveraged well beyond the buzz and hype that normally goes with such a landmark title?
Our colleague Dave Siroty pointed out so many missed opportunities by the NWSL leading into the finals win, and although it was great that Budweiser has stepped up (albeit with an ad that was less than thrilling and inspiring) and ESPN will be pushing some NWSL matches, where else will this team find its ability, especially as individuals, to rise and thrive as brands and voices. Yes we will have our share of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, but will a brand look to the future and find the young stars and collectively embrace them and build with them through the Olympics and the next World Cup?
Will some of these younger stars find a key cause that they can impact and grow that as a platform? Mental health, childhood obesity, healthy lifestyle are all plaguing this country for both men and women, and that area is prime for some young voices. Other than the traditional brands, are there some rising brands that will not just go to members of the team to engage in conversations, faces that have amazing stories…there is one mother on the team, at least two players of color and numerous other stories that can be exploited by some smart and engaged athletes…still to be played out?
And what of the NWSL and its platform for storytelling aggressively? New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy was prominent on the bandwagon for equal pay as the team arrived in Newark Monday, yet he is part of the issue, as a part owner of Sky Blue FC, there has been lack of investment and development of a club in a prime market, as pointed out by Steve Edelson in this story again today. Will he and some of the other owners, other than the success seen in Portland and Orlando, both ante up and tell the stories not just of the World Cup champions, but of the other rising stars on their teams as well?
While Soccer United Marketing will be one of the winners, as they get to sell the rights to both national teams as well as MLS and other properties (and have a growing and engaged female demo of fans), there are lots of unanswered questions, and issues, as to how this win and this big stage on a quiet day will move the long term needle. Most importantly if you are a brand, what is the ROI being presented by the assets of the team other than what SUM can bring? The NWSL had, and lost, a massive involvement with A & E Networks because of lack of execution and implementation, and really needs to show brands what the long term hard value is for engagement.
Case in point at least for the short term. Coco Gauff. The sudden surprise in women’s tennis is smart, young, telegenic and also performed this month on a big stage at Wimbledon. She will have a presence all summer long at select tennis events across the country that will lead to the US Open. If you are a brand do you invest in her for the short or long term, because there is a clear path leading to a big event on US soil where you can engage, or do you take a path with some young soccer players who have a great following and the cache of a World Cup win, but do not have the consistent presence yet built. My bet is Coco wins the day for now if she chooses.
There is room for both, but risk averse brands will look at the cost and benefit and make a safer decision, and you know that a rising player of color in tennis will have some shelf life. A player in most NWSL markets, maybe not.
Now the hope is that the plan comes together even with all this lost time for planning, and that brands are given a long term path to year round success and seize the opportunity, nit the short term money grab that usually occurs here. It won’t be easy, and a loud platform will be grabbed Wednesday literally, let’s hope the gas is now in the bandwagon for the longer term, and those shouting support put the dollars and the plan into place.
