Last summer, a T-shirt with the slogan “everyone watches women’s sports” went viral. That message still rings true. TNT Sports announced that more than 3 million people viewed the opening weekend of Unrivaled, the new U.S. women’s professional basketball league.

As interest in women’s athletics grows, now would seem an opportune time for the league, which has 36 WNBA stars competing over nine weeks for a title and cash awards. Debuting on Jan. 17, Unrivaled comprises six teams—the Lunar Owls, Phantom, Vinyl, Mist, Laces and Rose—with six players each.

The game features a fresh format: Three-on-three play on a compressed full court. There are three seven-minute quarters and an untimed fourth quarter in which teams play to a winning score—determined by adding 11 points to the leading team’s total after three quarters. Games are played at Wayfair Arena in Miami primarily on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays. The action airs on TNT and TruTV and streams on Max.

Unrivaled—co-founded by the WNBA’s Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart—allows players to supplement their salaries and hone their skills at home rather than playing overseas during the WNBA offseason.

Funded by numerous high-profile sources and investors such as Alex Morgan, Coco Gauff, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michael Phelps, Geno Auriemma and Philly’s own Dawn Staley, the league has already raised more than $35 million. Unrivaled is also sponsored by a variety of big brands like Sephora, State Farm, Miller Lite, VistaPrint, Sprite, Under Armour and more, further raising its profile.

This significant investment is paying off. Unrivaled offers the highest average salary for players of any professional women’s sports league. It also provides state-of-the-art amenities and services including weight, glamour and content creation rooms as well as saunas, a personalized chef and child care. Collier and Stewart invited other professional basketball players to share the amenities needed to make the league a success for the athletes.

Temple Now spoke with Temple experts Lauren Bullock, STH ’03, assistant professor of public relations and director of sports media, and Thilo Kunkel, professor at the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, about the implications and impact of this new Unrivaled league.

Temple Now: What does it mean for U.S. women’s basketball and women’s sports in general to now have this Unrivaled league?

Thilo Kunkel: I think there’s a lot of potential in terms of promoting women’s basketball. It helps ensure the longevity of the WNBA, which has been extremely successful this past year. It’s maintaining that engagement and momentum and keeping women’s basketball fresh in the minds of fans and consumers during the WNBA offseason.

Lauren Bullock: It’s great to have more U.S.-based professional women’s basketball leagues. Having this league allows athletes who played college in the U.S. to stay with their families and near their fanbases and still compete at a high level. It also gives K–12-aged children even more professional basketball players to watch. When we saw the emergence of Caitlin Clark, for example, it was the first time a generation of young women were raised with professional women’s basketball in the U.S. Now we’re seeing the by-product of showing women play locally and on TV, making their games accessible.

Unrivaled offers high-quality basketball, with elite facilities and high-priced tickets, communicating the value of it. The league asked the players what they wanted and then delivered. There’s a lot of intentionality and thought that went into this league. It shows others that you can create what you want or what doesn’t exist.

TN: What do you make of this format or model (e.g., three-on-three play, a nine-week schedule, six teams with six players each, a compressed full court, an untimed fourth quarter in which teams play to a winning score)? Will it be successful and sustainable in terms of play and ratings?

Kunkel: It’s a different model, and in this case, different is unique enough to create interest on an ongoing basis. The concept of players being mixed and matched together is novel and allows for more changes next season. We may see different teams and different compositions of teams. New rivalries may evolve, or old rivalries could reignite. There’s a lot of potential to keep it fresh. And the three-on-three focus is different enough to not just feel like another WNBA game.

Bullock: I appreciate the 11-point rule at the end of the third quarter that determines the final score to reach in the fourth quarter because it keeps the game competitive. There’s always a game-winning shot, and that’s something people are looking for.  

TN: How does this new league raise the standards or expectations for the WNBA and other professional sports organizations? 

Bullock: Unrivaled is modeling on a smaller scale what the WNBA can do. The league wants to take care of its athletes. It comes down to how the WNBA envisions change and what it can financially afford. It’s a small operation compared with other leagues, and it’s been forced to grow over the past couple years in a way that’s great. People are going in droves to consume the product. There are three WNBA teams debuting in the next two years, and the league will want to continue that momentum.  

Kunkel: Unrivaled shows there’s money in women’s sports. Men’s leagues for a long time have supported women’s leagues. For example, the NBA has supported the WNBA for many seasons, and now the WNBA is slowly becoming more self-funded. We see a similar landscape with soccer, especially in Europe, where women’s soccer is massively growing. Men’s soccer teams have supported the women’s soccer teams, and these clubs have used women’s teams to extend their brand and invest in their future. This should remind other leagues like lacrosse and hockey that if men’s leagues aren’t supporting and investing in women’s sports, private capital will invest and likely reap the benefits of these investments. As much as we should support women’s sport for what it is, if there’s no business case around it, it’s difficult to sustain. Unrivaled is showing there is a business case.  

TN: Why has support for women’s sports grown in recent years?

Bullock: The growth of youth sports is a big factor. The quality of performance and play has also increased. Training and specialization are starting at a younger level. There’s now similar development in women’s basketball players and men’s basketball players.

Kunkel: Social media has massively contributed to its growth. There’s a push for direct-to-consumer streaming. There’s also the potential to build a personal brand from the athlete’s perspective, and athletes have supported consumer interest. That consumer interest at the athlete level is now being transferred to the league level. People want to connect with individuals and see what these stars do on and off the field or court, so behind-the-scenes content has further supported the growth of women’s sports.  

TN: How can Unrivaled gain and maintain momentum, especially amid a packed sports schedule?

Bullock: The league has a specific market. The people who are watching want to see elite basketball. One thing to watch will be the direct competition with the NCAA women’s college basketball tournament at the end of the Unrivaled season. I’ll be interested in late February and early March to see what ratings and attendance look like for Unrivaled as they fight the Big 10 and SEC tournaments. Both sold out in the past and captured more television coverage.

Staying in its niche can help the league sustain momentum. We now can fly down to South Beach or watch on our screens elite women’s basketball players that were previously playing overseas during the WNBA offseason. We’re seeing players we normally wouldn’t see play together. It feels like an endless All-Star Game. Unrivaled knows what people are looking for and presents it in an easy-to-digest format.

Kunkel: Sport is competitive with not just other sports but also other entertainment options. Unrivaled’s success will come down to the stories the league can tell through these games. At some point, there needs to be Unrivaled-specific storylines and rivalries. Those elements will then transfer into the next WNBA season and help Unrivaled’s growth. Having these superstars and their large fan base involved is a massive benefit for the league.