Unrivaled has made its arrival to women’s basketball.
The league is a 3-on-3 pro basketball league that sees some of the top WNBA players compete against each other. With the league securing over $35 million from investors as well as a multiyear media rights deal with TNT Sports, Unrivaled will be around for the foreseeable future.
The first game was played on Jan. 17 in Miami, Florida. They are played with different rules than what Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players are used to such as an 18-second shot clock instead of 24. This rule change will allow for professional basketball to be played at a different setting and games to be played at a faster pace.
The league’s opener was a success with its 850-seat arena selling out three game days in a row, and an average of 312,000 viewers tuning into Friday’s opening slate of games. This could hold for the next eight weeks as each team aims to play in the league’s championship game on Mar. 17.
Unrivaled has also helped with a large problem surrounding women’s sports: compensation. The league has the highest average salary for players of any professional women’s sports league which is at $220,000. In contrast, this is near the maximum base salary of the WNBA. While most players would travel overseas in their offseasons to help complement their WNBA contracts, Unrivaled gives them a chance to do this in their home country while also competing with fellow players. With the WNBA and its players currently negotiating over a new collective bargaining agreement, Unrivaled presents ways for the WNBA to better accommodate their athletes.
With the recent surge in women’s basketball, Unrivaled has arrived at the most opportune time for viewers across the country to become more familiar with WNBA stars. Their impact on both women’s basketball and women’s sports will be felt for years to come as the league continues play over the next seven weeks.
