When Women’s National Basketball Association All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier introduced Unrivaled in late May, the premise was simple. They sought to provide the league’s marquee names with an alternative to employment in tournaments outside the United States during the offseason, particularly after the turn of the year and until the start of training camp in April. By remaining Stateside, these players would then be able to steer clear of the controversial prioritization clause in the collective bargaining agreement.
To be sure, Unrivaled has a unique selling proposition. It’s a 3v3 league of six teams, with five players on each team. Games are slated to be played on a compressed court measuring 70×50 feet. And with former ESPN and Turner executives John Skipper and David Levy heading negotiations for media and advertising rights, it figures to ride on the increasing popularity of women’s sports. Add to this the promise of equity stakes and competitive salaries for the 30 players, and it’s easy to see why there is a scramble behind the scenes to be part of the league.
Clearly seeing the marketing benefits provided by sustained interest in Unrivaled, those behind it have seen fit to slowly name the handpicked players on social media. And with each introduction comes heightened pressure for hopefuls; less and less slots are becoming available. Normally, casual observers are not privy to what goes on behind the curtains. In this case, all and sundry got a peek after the Sky’s Chennedy Carter made a fuss as to why she had not yet received an invite from the league, and then posted on social media what appears to be privileged communication from her representation.
Carter’s willingness to highlight the issue in public is no surprise considering her outsized personality. Which, it must be noted, has already landed her in hot water before — not including her infamous body-check of ultra-popular Fever rookie Caitlin Clark in a match on June 1. Whether it will eventually lead to her being given a spot in Unrivaled remains to be seen. From a business standpoint, however, her unpredictable nature should give decision makers pause. For all her admitted skills with a ball in her hands, her off-court antics make her an iffy proposition — especially since co-ownership is included in the deal.
How all this winds up is anybody’s guess. In any case, Unrivaled is a can’t-miss proposition that stands as a boon for all stakeholders of the women’s game.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
