Still Not Paying Attention to Women's Sports?

The New York Liberty, a professional WOMEN'S basketball team, has done something their male counterparts in the four major sports have not been able to do for over a decade in the heart of the most electric sports capital in the world.

Win a title.

The long drought was ended last night in dramatic fashion when the #WNBA's New York Liberty won the "winner take all" game 5 in overtime. It's been 30 years in the making for one of the original founding cities of the WNBA and despite having come close previously, this time the rabid fans got the happy ending they wanted and deserved.

But this is not a lesson in "good things coming to those that wait." It's about investing in women's sports, which is exactly what Liberty owners Joseph and Clara Wu Tsai did when they purchased the team from James Dolan who had treated the team as more of a vanity purchase than a potential show piece.

The Tsai's immediately moved the team from the less than glamorous venue in Westchester County, which was better suited for collectibles shows and conventions, to the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. They changed the logo and added seafoam green as the team color, reminiscent of their namesake Statue of Liberty.

And what happened?

Fans followed.

And they purchased merchandise.

And they bought into the vision of the Liberty.

You can say that the 14,000 fans that attended the game last pale in comparison to an average game's attendance of the Yankees, Knicks, or Jets.

But they are loyal. They are rabid. And they are one more demographic that savvy marketers should be homing in upon. With multiple other sporting events being held the same day in New York, these fans were ready for something big, and they got it!

The New York Liberty players are great when it comes to connecting with their fans. They recognize the power of being accessible and authentic- especially when it comes to capturing the hearts of younger fans and building team loyalty. This is the REAL win- building an entity that is meaningful and has staying power and the ability to ignite a rabid following. This is what marketers should be salivating over.

So as a loyal and long-suffering New York Jets fan, I applaud and appreciate all the brands who have stuck by us for longer than we probably deserve. But I might suggest branching out a bit and capturing additional audiences who are more than ready for the attention they deserve.

Kindly don't miss out, as these opportunities don't come around too often...