The retired player chatted with WWD at the Fifth Avenue flagship about how the sport has become part of the culture since her time playing for Seattle Storm, and the future of women’s basketball.
On Wednesday, the WNBA and Meta Quest took over the NBA flagship on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, with the help of WNBA pioneer Sue Bird.
The event, “W All Day,” was the first time the WNBA has taken over the store to create a fan event. The store was completely transformed with the league’s signature orange hue and logo as the hub for the WNBA leading up to the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend. New York Liberty mascot and social media star Big Ellie was also on site to do a meet-and-greet for fans.
In partnership with the WNBA, Meta Quest helped create a courtside experience for attendees. The main floor featured hardwood floors and folding chairs to mimic witnessing the action up close and included Meta Quest demos for the immersive experience. Players also played Pop-a-Shot in Quest at the Horizon Worlds NBA Arena to receive WNBA All-Star weekend merchandise.
“[The WNBA] has come a very long way [since my time in the sport],” Sue Bird told WWD. “I could tell stories from many years throughout my career but what sticks out to me is that we all always believed and knew what we had. We knew at some point there was going to be a break. And to finally see it do that is really rewarding and I get to enjoy it.”
The WNBA pioneer, managing director for Team USA’s women’s basketball and part owner of the Seattle Storm, confirmed she’ll be on the ground in Indianapolis for the All-Star Game; she’ll be watching the action heat up between team captains Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier with the likes of Sabrina Ionescu, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, A’ja Wilson, Kayla Thornton, Gabby Williams and more of the biggest names in basketball participating.
Bird hosts “Bird’s Eye View,” giving WNBA analysis and behind-the-scenes stories, and “A Touch More,” with her longtime partner and retired soccer star Megan Rapinoe, which focuses on women’s sports and its intersection with broader culture. She said that she has two podcasts to continue to speak about women in sports.
“Some of the players’ stories are really incredible,” Bird said. “It’s really important to tell the stories of them so fans can really connect and engage in that way. That creates a fandom that lives on for generations.”
Bird continued that for many years, players have been using their platform to express themselves off the court. “It’s a big reason why we’ve broken through the way that we have and gotten into the mainstream culture, society and media.”
She said to make a lasting, real change and for momentum in the WNBA to continue as not just a trend but a movement is to “shift the focus to actual basketball and play on the court.” While she’s not asking for the league to be exempt from other conversations that naturally happen around sports, similar to the NBA, NFL and NHL, Bird wants more of the focus on the league’s talent and skills — which is what the All-Star weekend is all about.
“With more brands getting involved in the WNBA and the more sponsorships that attach their name to the WNBA, there’s two sides to it,” said Bird. “It helps to validate the WNBA in a lot of ways and it means it matters. It means people are willing to spend money on it, which gives it a form of validation. But in return, a lot of the brands that are partnering with the WNBA are seeing the benefits of their business, so it’s a two-way street. It was something we were lacking for a really long time and it is a big part in how to push the game forward, grow the game and continuing to make it about the basketball itself.”
Colie Edison, chief growth officer at the WNBA, said Meta Quest is a great partner for the WNBA because its technology allows people to view the game through a new lens and, thus, open up the sport to a whole new set of fans. This new fan, she said, doesn’t consume sports the same way as 20 years ago — when it was strictly through broadcasting television. Edison said the Meta Quest AR and VR capabilities of the headset bring fans directly to courtside.
“The WNBA sits at the intersection of sports, culture and lifestyle — and tech is integrated in all of those,” said Edison. “Our goal at the W is to make it easier to be a fan. We’re trying to widen the aperture of fandom. Are you a fan because you agree with our purpose-driven values? Are you a fan because you’re a diehard basketball lover? Or are you a fan because there’s a cultural resonance that means something to you?”
Looking ahead, the WNBA’s commercial partnerships with Meta, Coach, Off-White and Glossier are a major part of the conversation in driving more fans and, in turn, more viewership to make more people pay attention to the sport.
She said there will be continued investment that isn’t just in dollars but doubling down on activations, creating storytelling with the WNBA athletes, offering more opportunities for fans to interact with players and teams to create brand and team affinity.
Initially, women’s sports weren’t shown on television, making it hard for fans to find the game. And sport broadcasters weren’t willing to give them space because of advertisers. Thus, the sport was locked in a vicious cycle where advertisers weren’t interested because there weren’t enough viewers with the lack of airtime. Edison said that now that the WNBA has broken the cycle, the sport is seeing a continued investment at the league level with partnerships, at the team level with expanded teams and at the talent level through the NCAA.
“In five years from now, we’re not going to be sitting here talking about women’s basketball. We’re just gonna be talking about basketball,” concluded Edison.
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Category: General Sports
