How the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks & the WNBA’s Dallas Wings are helping women’s basketball.
The Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Wings made history after agreeing to a deal that will set a precedent for others to follow in the future.
It goes without saying that such a deal will place a deserved spotlight on the women’s game at a time when the WNBA is blessed with a host of stars. Indeed, the opportunities that will come from the agreement will only serve to improve the game for women going forward.
Dallas Mavericks become jersey sponsor of Dallas Wings
According to reports on Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Wings now have a historic partnership in place, that will see the NBA franchise become the jersey sponsor of its WNBA counterpart. The Wings will become the first team in the women’s league to secure an NBA team as its jersey sponsor. In a joint statement released by the two teams, it was disclosed that the jersey will feature the Mavericks’ team logo in addition to the logo of “Girls Empowered by Mavericks” (GEM), a program which was created by the NBA franchise in an effort to “inspire and empower young females through the use of physical activity as a backdrop to their development and success.”
“The Mavericks have worked hard to build the best youth-focused programming in the NBA,” Wings President & CEO Greg Bibb said in the team’s statement. “We are incredibly proud to partner with their organization to extend and expand the GEM program’s reach throughout North Texas. We are grateful to Cynt Marshall, Mark Cuban and the Mavericks leadership for their commitment to this innovative sponsorship and we look forward to working with them to empower girls through the sport of basketball. The Dallas Mavericks are proud to work alongside our local WNBA team, the Dallas Wings, to further the empowerment of young girls in North Texas,” Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall said. “We see GEM participants as the talent pool to represent future women in sports, business and other careers, and we are emboldened to move the needle towards female representation and equality.”
The Dallas Mavericks are committed to the women’s game
Another interesting aspect of the agreement between the two franchises, and perhaps more important, is the fact that GEM will offer a number of programs for players and coaches to participate in such as basketball camps for girls in Northern Texas, which will undoubtedly build and improve the game. Ultimately, the Mavs have made a big move with this one. We can only hope other NBA teams will follow suit.