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WNBA players: NIL can help make our league more popular

DiDi Richards greets Baylor fans before the 2019 national championship game. (Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports)

DiDi Richards didn’t think about developing her personal brand. It just sort of happened.

While playing basketball for four years at Baylor, Richards sported two curly pigtails on the top of her head, which she refers to as “puffs.” During Baylor’s run to the NCAA championship in 2019, Richards started seeing her hair everywhere. It got to the point where she joked that Baylor fans liked her hair more than she did.

“I would see shirts with emblems of my hair, or people would have hats with fake puffs on top,” she said. “So I think that like accidentally became my brand. It wasn’t something I tried to do, it just happened.”

Richards graduated right before NIL opportunities opened up for college players, but now that branding is such a priority for those at the NCAA level, it has a domino effect in the WNBA as well.

The formula seems simple: The more popular players become in college, the more fans will translate to the WNBA.

Recently, many professional players have made it a priority to return to their alma maters, participating in TV broadcasts and events and mingling with fans. Not only does this give them the opportunity to relive memories with their former programs, it also helps to bridge the gap between WNBA and college fans.

“All the people that are at that school, it just shows them where the game is going on the women’s side,” said Kelsey Mitchell, who recently returned to Ohio State for two games. “It’s crazy how, when you go back, how many people you remember, and when you have conversations with them you are able to reconnect.”

Mitchell says she was able to converse with Buckeyes fans who have now become Indiana Fever fans since the guard went second overall to the team in the 2018 WNBA Draft.

On Sunday, when No. 5 UConn plays No. 1 South Carolina, Napheesa Collier will be able to do the same when she returns to Connecticut. Collier is also looking forward to bringing her daughter, Mila, around the program for the first time since she was born in May.

A lot has changed for the new mother since she left UConn, but Huskies fans have not.

Collier says she sees UConn fans at her WNBA games with the Lynx, and that the people who watched her in college have stayed loyal to her and other Huskies in the pros.

“I don’t think that is the case for everyone though,” she said. “You see a lot of diehard fans and alumni and things like that at college games, and then you see a drop-off when it comes to the league.”

UConn is a historic program with a passionate fanbase, and Collier says she feels lucky to have that kind of support behind her, no matter where she is playing. But even the fanbases of other well-known programs don’t always translate from one league to another.

When Richards was at Baylor for the Bears’ rivalry game against Texas on Jan. 22, many of the fans didn’t even know she was in the WNBA, and that shocked her.

“They saw me and they were like, ‘Oh my god, what are you doing now? Are you enjoying life after basketball?’ Some people honestly don’t know that there is a next step and that I’ve taken that next step,” she said.

Richards thinks much of that disconnect stems from the older generation of fans. The younger ones follow her and other players on social media, so they see her posting about the WNBA. For those that don’t, there need to be other avenues for increasing visibility, such as visits to campus and the NIL market.

Current college stars like Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are already growing their personal brands and becoming household names, and they will only bring more attention to the WNBA when they turn pro.

Individual marketing endeavors also open doors for other players to negotiate deals.

“I think players like Paige are setting the bar really high,” Collier said of her fellow Husky. “It helps because you can use her as a comparison. Like, ‘OK, we know you have the money because you paid her this,’ or, ‘We know you have the resources because we’ve seen it already.’ So it gives us a leveraging point.”

The NIL era changed things drastically for college athletes, and though they missed out on it themselves, Richards, Collier and Mitchell are happy to see the college game evolving. Not only does it allow student-athletes to make money, but it also educates them on the business side of basketball, something they will need in the WNBA.

“That was something that was new once we left,” Collier said. “Then you are bombarded with trying to get sponsorships and doing activations. You kind of got hit with it all at once. Now they are used to it in college.”

But the increased opportunities can also lead to more stress for student-athletes.

“Coaches have told me that sometimes it can pull focus because players are sometimes more worried about themselves,” Collier said. “You have to have a brand and you have to be marketable for sponsorships to want to pick you up. If you’re not scoring, it becomes harder.”

Overall, Collier is thrilled about the addition of NIL opportunities, as are other WNBA players who missed out on the market.

“These kids work hard,” Mitchell said. “They tap into their craft day in and day out. They are sharpening their iron. I think they should enjoy the fruits of their labor.”

And if those fruits transfer to the WNBA, all the better.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Mallory Swanson returns to Chicago’s starting lineup in season opener

(Isaac Hale-USA TODAY Sports)

Mallory Swanson made her NWSL return on Saturday, after having missed the majority of last season with a knee injury. 

It was her first game with the Red Stars in 349 days, after she tore her patella tendon playing with the USWNT last April. She made her return to the USWNT earlier this year, coming in as a training camp player ahead of the Concacaf W Gold Cup. Interim head coach Twila Kilgore said that Swanson looked “phenomenal” in training. 

On Saturday, Swanson got to showcase just how far she’s come in her recovery, being named to the Red Stars’ starting lineup. 

Chicago got the 2-0 road win over Utah, and perhaps more importantly, Swanson looked like she hadn’t missed a beat. She wound up playing 80 minutes, which included two shots (one on target), passing accuracy of 81%, four crosses, four possession wins and two clearances. 

All in a day's work for the USWNT and Chicago striker.

Lorne Donaldson, who coached Swanson during her time with youth club team Real Colorado, took over as the Red Stars coach in the offseason. 

‘‘I haven’t seen the toughness in any player that I have seen in Mal,’’ Donaldson told the Chicago Sun-Times  ahead of the match. 

The fact that Swanson played 80 minutes means that she could be back to a full 90 sooner rather than later, which itself could lead to a full USWNT call-up and cap.

OL Groupe completes sale of Seattle Reign

(Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports)

The Seattle Reign have officially been sold, with OL Groupe announcing on Monday the team has signed an agreement with a group that includes the Seattle Sounders ownership group.

The transaction still needs to be approved by the NWSL and MLS Board of Governors. Global investment firm Carlyle joins the Sounders ownership group in the purchasing of the club.

OL Groupe’s entire stake in the club will be sold, which amounts to 97% of the club’s share capital. They originally purchased the club in 2019 for approximately $3.5 million. 

“The sale price is $58 million for 100% of the shares,” they said in a statement. Last October, Sportico had valued the club at $49 million.

According to OL Groupe, the sale is part of their strategy to refocus on men’s soccer. Recently, the group sold the women's side of Olympique Lyonnais to Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang.

"OL Groupe is delighted with this transaction as it ensures a locally-led group will continue OL Groupe's successful development of the Seattle franchise," the holding company said.

The Reign aren’t the first club to be sold this year, with the sale of the San Diego Wave for $113 million being announced last week. In August of last year, the Red Stars were sold to a group led by Laura Ricketts for $35.5 million and in January the Portland Thorns sold for $63 million, which was at the time the highest price ever paid for an NWSL team. 

Angel City, the league’s most valuable team, is also reportedly exploring a sale of a controlling number of shares.

Kansas City makes history with ‘standard setting’ stadium opener

CPKC Stadium. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Kansas City Current opened their new stadium on Saturday, which is believed to be the world’s first stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional team. 

It was a full circle moment with the game being played against the Portland Thorns, 11 years after the two teams played the first-ever NWSL game at a high school football field in Overland Park, Kansas.

The game was a sellout, with the Current putting on a show in front of 11,500 fans, taking down Portland 5-4 in a chaotic, back-and-forth match. For both the league and Kansas City, it was a monumental moment. 

"I've only heard people talk about our game [Saturday] and not about Sporting [Kansas City, playing a MLS home game later that night],” Lo’eau LaBonta told ESPN. “Don't get me wrong, I love Sporting as well and I've been related to them [through marriage to Sporting player Roger Espinoza] for a while now, but that's what I'm hearing, and that's already different.

"Our faces are in the airport, on the streetcars. That would have never happened [before]. I bet you back in the day, not one person could name the team or when our game was gonna be on the weekend."

Members of the 1985 USWNT were in attendance, as the club celebrated the first-ever U.S. women’s national team. They also have a special spot in the stadium, recognizing their accomplishments. 

It was a day of many firsts, as Vanessa DiBernardo had the first goal in the stadium’s history. Alex Pfeiffer also got on the scoresheet with what would turn out to be the game winner, becoming the youngest player to score in NWSL regular season history at just 16 years old. 

“I think what this club is doing and setting the standard, and building this stadium, and people showing up and supporting it, and just women’s soccer growing in general, I think it’s just super special,” DiBernardo said. “Where we started with this league and where we are now, it just shows the growth and how much players have put into it and really pushed the standard, and how much we’ve kind of really had to fight for ourselves. And it’s just the start.”

Others celebrities were in attendance as well, including Brittany and Patrick Mahomes, who are also co-owners of the team. The duo kicked off the game with the stadium’s first “KC, baby!” chant.

"We've been saying if you build it they will come internally," NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman told ESPN at halftime. "And then coming here and actually seeing what it means to actually invest in brick and mortar physical infrastructure, it's a game-changer."

Possible LSU, Iowa rematch headlines women’s March Madness bracket

LSU's Angel Reese points at her ring finger behind Iowa's Caitlin Clark in celebration of the Tigers' NCAA championship win. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The 68-team bracket for March Madness was revealed on Sunday, with Iowa facing a difficult road to the Final Four. 

As expected, Iowa was named a 1-seed – the team’s first since 1992 – and will host the first two rounds of the tournament at home. But they’re joined by No. 2 seed UCLA and No. 3 seed LSU in their quadrant, setting up a number of possible blockbuster showdowns before they even reach the Final Four. That includes a possible national championship rematch with the Tigers in the Elite Eight. 

They could also find themselves up against No. 4 seed Kansas State, a team that they played twice this season – and that beat them once. 

"They’ve got the hardest road in my opinion. This is the hardest road," ESPN analyst Andraya Carter said during the selection show with Rebecca Lobo in agreement.

Other storylines in the region include a possible matchup between LSU guard Hailey Van Lith and her former team Louisville in the second round after the Cardinals were drawn in the Baton Rouge regional. 

"Initially, I just thought, 'Oooh, this is a tough, tough region,'" LSU coach Kim Mulkey said of her first reaction to the bracket.

"You really have to go game to game. After you get out of the first round, every team is basically a top-25 team," Clark said. "You need a little luck, a good draw, need to be playing your best basketball, but I think the biggest thing for me is just enjoying every single second because this is the most fun basketball.”

Other No. 1 seeds include South Carolina, who earned the No. 1 overall seed, USC and Texas. Stanford dropped to a 2-seed following their Pac-12 tournament final loss, and are joined by UCLA, Ohio State and Notre Dame. UConn, NC State and Oregon State join LSU as 3-seeds. 

Columbia will be going dancing for the first time in school history, earning an at-large play-in bid against Vanderbilt. This is just the second time the Ivy League will have two teams in the NCAA tournament. 

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