Unequalled’s checklist of high-profile partnerships is constant to develop. The brand new skilled girls’s 3-on-3 basketball league — co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart — introduced on Friday a multiyear partnership with Sephora as its official and unique magnificence companion.
Sephora, a French-based make-up firm, is without doubt one of the world’s largest private care and sweetness corporations, providing beauty, skincare, perfume, nail, and hair care gadgets. On account of the partnership, the corporate will outfit the league’s new glam room at Unequalled’s new facility in Miami.
Unequalled suggestions off in two weeks, on January seventeenth in Miami. The league boasts 36 WNBA gamers — together with Angel Reese, Sabrina Ionescu, Brittney Griner, Satou Sabally, and dozens of different All-Stars — and can span 9 weeks.
The league has already introduced partnerships with a number of different main corporations, together with Ally Monetary because the league’s official banking and founding companion; TNT Sports activities because the unique media rights companion; State Farm because the league’s residence and auto insurance coverage sponsor; Ticketmaster as its official ticketing companion; Wilson because the official sport ball producer; Below Armour because the official uniform companion and efficiency clothing store; Miller Lite because the official beer companion; and Mediapro North America because the manufacturing and internet hosting companion.
The venue goals to supply all Unequalled athletes the facilities and providers that they want — together with moms who select to carry their youngsters with them to the 9-week league. The Mediapro facility encompasses a hair and make-up room, a childcare middle, and extra.
“We’re going to supply daycare servicing for the moms on arrival,” Alex Bazzell, Unequalled’s president, advised SB Nation. “It’s the whole lot that the athletes want underneath one roof in terms of something and the whole lot — on-court or off-court for them.”
Kirby Porter, Unequalled’s chief model officer, stated that Sephora was a pure match for the brand new skilled girls’s basketball league.
“Our partnership with Sephora is a pure model alignment for the league, and we’re grateful for Sephora’s assist in offering holistic assets and top-tier merchandise for any wants Unequalled athletes have all through the season,” stated Porter. “Sephora’s dedication to uplifting and empowering rising manufacturers deeply resonates with a league additionally trying to make waves as a brand new, numerous sports activities property.”
Sephora will present gamers with all of their magnificence wants all through the season, and be featured in on-court signage and all through the arrival corridor for participant entrances.
“At Sephora, our mission is to create an inclusive group the place all really feel welcome to rejoice themselves, making a partnership with Unequalled — a league dedicated to elevating and empowering the best in girls’s basketball – a seamless collaboration between magnificence and sports activities,” stated Zena Arnold, Sephora’s chief advertising and marketing officer. “Sephora and Unequalled share many aligned values, together with advocating for fairness inside our communities and collectively we hope to encourage confidence and self-expression for all.”
Unequalled guarantees gamers a median wage of a minimum of $222,000, greater than twice the common WNBA wage. That doesn’t take note of fairness or income shares, each of which shall be added to gamers’ salaries.
“We’re actually altering the outlook of the ecosystem holistically,” Bazzell stated. “You’re seeing extra leagues bumping up their pay as a result of that’s the place the area is now. We’re proud to play a component in that development of simply the economics of those gamers being paid some huge cash to play basketball. That’s the place we need to get to. It’s nice to have model offers, it’s nice to have all this off-court stuff, however on the finish of the day, we would like to have the ability to pay them excessive salaries on the court docket.”
