Increasing attendance and becoming financially viable is a long-term goal for women’s basketball.
The business side of the sport will be discussed by a panel Monday at the Women’s Final Four Summit in Nashville, where representatives from the membership and national office of the NCAA, USA Basketball, WNBA, high school, Amateur Athletic Union and club teams. The summit’s two other roundtables will focus on the state of women’s basketball and youth development in the sport.
THE the event will be broadcast live at NCAA.com/WFFSummit.
Despite its growing popularity, women’s basketball continues to face financial difficulties. The question of how to reduce losses for many championship programs and events was a key part of the women’s basketball white paper, produced by Val Ackerman and released last June. Before being named commissioner of the Big East Conference, Ackerman — the first president of the WNBA — was hired as a consultant in 2012 by the NCAA’s championships and alliances staff to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the sport.
Larger crowds at women’s basketball games lead to larger crowds for championship games, which creates a better experience for players. While the women’s Final Four is still played in basketball arenas, the men’s Final Four has been played exclusively in domed stadiums since 1997 to accommodate crowds.
For the white paper, Ackerman spoke with more than 100 people, including coaches, university presidents, conference commissioners, athletic directors and other intercollegiate administrators, television network representatives, staff of the NCAA national office and outside sports leaders before writing the white paper.
Four decades after Title IX paved the way for the growth of women’s sports, Ackerman believes that women’s basketball has progressed to the point where key decision-makers need to think about how to make the sport self-sustaining.
While there have been some local initiatives in the past, such as marketing grants for NCAA women’s basketball, efforts can be better organized with everyone in the room.
Anucha Browne, NCAA vice president for women’s basketball, wants to hear the conversation on this topic.
“We tell people on NCAA campuses that they need to do a better job of marketing sports, but we don’t really tell them how,” Browne said. “We need to have a broader discussion that involves all levels of the game. I’m sure the WNBA has some good ideas as they approach this from a business perspective.”
From the NCAA’s perspective, larger crowds will enhance the experience for college women’s basketball players by creating a more exciting atmosphere, which in turn could entice casual sports fans to tune in to a televised game.
Increasing the number of people willing to spend their entertainment dollars to watch women’s basketball will provide a boost to the bottom line and increase the growth of the sport.
Ackerman believes intercollegiate women’s basketball has untapped business opportunities. She also believes that those who market the sport at the college level and those who market the game at the professional level can share ideas that could benefit both levels of play.
“In the world of the WNBA, there are no Title IX issues and no rights,” Ackerman said. “You sell tickets and make money to pay the operating costs of these teams, or you’re not in business. WNBA teams have come and gone for this reason. The market decides in professional sports. There is no immunity from the market. In women’s college athletics, especially women’s basketball, we need to better understand business realities.
Current WNBA President Laurel Richie and the league’s Vice President of Marketing Hilary Shaev both plan to attend the summit and share their perspectives.
Throughout the year, they meet with the operating managers and marketing teams of the league’s 12 franchises. Richie said these meetings create regular, consistent, real-time sharing of the best practice plans that are working around the league.
The WNBA will begin its 18th season next month.
“This whole thing is a collaborative effort between the league and the teams,” Richie said. “We are focused on building an authentic and lasting fan base. When we do it right, there can be a wonderful cascade down to the college level, down to the high school level and even at the lower levels, we become therefore the destination for young girls who have the talent, skills, drive and discipline to become professional athletes.”
Shaev added that teams and the league are constantly communicating on marketing, ticketing and sponsorship initiatives.
“We have a whole department here dedicated to consulting and working with teams to ensure that when something big happens, everyone knows it too,” Shaev said. “It also gives them a chance to implement it.”
Sharing information between 32 conferences and 343 schools at the Division I level is problematic.
“I won’t say it’s easy to do, but when the goals and the passion are there, it’s definitely possible,” Richie said. “The opportunities are similar across the board as we seek to increase attendances and establish women’s football as different, but not less, than men’s football. There is an element of cause that comes with our game since the sport is practiced by women.”
