WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes’ was the first woman to get a signature Nike basketball shoe. Her second model returns August 17.
Source: The Air Swoopes II Returns
According to Forbes, “[T]he WNBA has seen a 36 percent increase in viewership in adults age 18 to 49, a 29 percent jump in men in that age group and a 50 percent increase in women. Through June, WNBA games on ESPN2 are averaging 250,000 viewers, a 39 percent improvement from last year and the best start for the league since 2013. The June 28 game between the Sparks and the Seattle Storm drew 378,000 viewers. It was the most watched regular season WNBA game on ESPN2 since 2011.”
I recently complained that Nike had done very little for the WNBA since taking over as the uniform provider for the League:
What Sneakers Will Be Rocked in the WNBA All Star Game? | via The Sky Show CHI on Twitter
In two days, August 17th, Nike will drop a limited run of the Air Swoopes II. When the Air Swoopes originally released I was playing basketball at San Diego City College. We wore Reebok, but everyone on the team ripped their shoes and wore Nike or Jordans by the end of the season. My shoe of choice was the LWP which was affiliated with Penny, but as 96 rolled around I had moved on to the David Robinson because I wanted something sturdier. The Swoopes was never an option although I would have rocked them.
The Comets were the W’s version of the Bulls. With their three headed monster of Coop, Swoopes and Tina Thompson, they stampeded through the league which was actually the precursor to this current incarnation of the league. Coming off of the Olympics the stars of the league were featured as commentators, on commercials and with so many recognizable names Staley, Lobo, the stars were bigger than the game. At this moment the WNBA has stars who are bigger than the game and this is an important factor in how the viewership of the league is improving. You can add in players on IG and the multiple non-affiliated Twitter accounts riding for the WNBA and it’s a perfect storm for making the league stronger. It’s also the perfect marketing opportunity for the launch of the Air Swoopes II
Nike is missing. The shoe drops on Friday and there is still enough time. I’m willing to bet the shoe is still playable and since the Swoosh hasn’t really done any marketing for the League they should be aligning over the next 24 hours with the Twitter-verse to create a promotion, cut footage of Swoopes into highlights of the new stars rocking with Nike, Liz Cambage in particular who recently dropped 53pts, to celebrate the history and the revival of the league. I’d much rather see real pictures of current players for dual branding purposes than these cheesy cartoon pics above.
That’s something that should be getting done immediately… if you’re reading this Nike, make it happen.
