The WNBA’s recent success has led to explosive growth, but the league is “growing too fast for its teams to keep up with demand” for jerseys, t-shirts and toys compared to its league counterparts like the NFL and NBA, according to Sara Germano of THE INFORMATION. Sources said that as a result, the league is “deepening ties with Amazon,” its broadcast partner since 2021, which in addition to airing games is now collaborating with some WNBA merchandisers to “fulfill retail orders.” Germano noted league and team execs typically must place orders to their merchandise suppliers at least a year in advance, a “lengthy timetable that doesn’t always account for viral highlights, player trades or draft pick order, which can radically shift consumer demand.” Retail sales at WNBA.com and at the league’s flagship store in N.Y. grew “sevenfold from 2023 to 2024 alone.” A WNBA spokesperson said that as the league is experiencing higher demand, it is “expanding its merchandise assortment with both existing and new licensees.” Fanatics is also expanding its own WNBA offerings. A spokesperson mentioned that the company “will soon be launching a Fanatics-branded WNBA replica jersey for all teams” in addition to the Nike-supplied merchandise. Now, the WNBA has “increased its inventory orders for the 2025 season by 400%,” and it “doubled the number of windows it has to place merchandise orders with Nike” (THE INFORMATION, 4/5).
WNBA’s high demand for merch has league tapping different avenues
