The announcement was made by the WNBA last Thursday that FanDuel has partnered with the league in an attempt to increase its audience base.
"We are constantly looking to innovate by finding new opportunities to engage with our passionate fans and introduce the WNBA to wider audience," WNBA President Lisa Borders said. "This partnership with FanDuel and our new one-day fantasy will be a fresh, unique way for fans to further connect with their favorite WNBA players and teams throughout our season."
The FanDuel and WNBA partnership offers fans with access to the Official One-Day Fantasy Game of the WNBA to compete against participants for prizes such as courtside tickets to regular season games, merchandise, and memorabilia throughout the regular season and playoffs.
According to the Associated Press, FanDuel's major DFS rival, DraftKings, is considering adding WNBA contests this summer. ESPN reported in November 2016 that DraftKings and FanDuel reached an agreement to merge.
Will female participation boost FanDuel?
Despite the fact that the daily fantasy sports (DFS) site has traditionally been male-dominated, industry research conducted by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) showed that 66 percent of fantasy sports players are male, while 34 percent of players are female.
WNBA focusing on league's growth
In addition to the WNBA's partnership with FanDuel, the league is growing through a partnership with social media companies like Twitter and television companies like ESPN.
According to a report, the attendance this year has increased in the past five seasons. As the National Basketball Association (NBA) becomes a multi-billion-dollar business, fast-growing daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKing and FanDuel have partnership deals with NBA teams. The Madison Square Garden Company that owns the NBA's New York Knicks and WNBA's New York Liberty, inked a marketing deal with DraftKings.
In the past, due to media gender bias in sports marketing, female sports leagues received few sponsorship opportunities. The WNBA aims to overcome gender-related challenges by creating marketing strategies to grow the league and expand its fanbase, and this partnership with Fan Duel is a big step in that direction.
Rebecca Lobo, a basketball analyst for ESPN, told the Associated Press on Friday that she sees how her kids consume sports on different platforms.
She believes that the WNBA has done a great job building multiple platforms to expand its audience this year.
Marketing sponsors collaborate with WNBA
Last year, the WNBA and Verizon Wireless achieved a marquee partnership deal to promote the company's logo on 10 of the 12 team jerseys. The WNBA replaced Boost Mobile for Verizon as a marquee partner, as the league sought a new strategy to improve fan attendance, as well as TV ratings.
The WNBA has several marketing partnerships with brands, including Adidas, American Express, BBVA Compass, Anheuser-Busch (Bud Light), Cisco, Gatorade, Kia, Nike, Sansung, SAP, Spalding, State Farm, and more.
