By Derek May:
Women’s sports in general, and basketball in particular, has seen an explosion in the last few years. There are those who might attribute that to a single event or person, but that is reductive and, honestly, dismissive of the tenacity and resilience of the many women and men who have worked their butts off for years to get things to this point. As someone who’s been a WNBA fan since its inception in 1997 and devoted since 2003 (when the Silver Stars moved down here to San Antonio), I’ve been privy to the incremental growth of women’s basketball over the past few decades, painfully slow but undeniably constant. The game has been gaining viewers, recognition, and respect with each season, but it was really around 2022 that things started to truly heat up.
That year, Coach Dawn Staley began to cement South Carolina’s dominance in NCAA women’s ball. The Las Vegas Aces won their first of back-to-back championships (the first for ANY Las Vegas professional sports team) thanks to another Hall of Fame coach in Becky Hammon, bringing some heat with her having also been the first full-time female NBA Assistant Coach. We started seeing WNBA players pop up in prime-time commercials for major corporations like State Farm and CarMax. Since then, things have only skyrocketed with budding college rivalries, a surging crop of high-profile NCAA stars, superstar rookies, players finally becoming household names, and viewership increasing 155% or more just last year.
But while all that growth is undoubtedly something to be celebrated, there are plenty of shortcomings only starting to be addressed. It was only last year that teams were able to charter flights between games. Teams are finally beginning to move from high school and church gyms to proper professional training facilities. And while the rookie minimum for an NBA player is over a million dollars, the highest-paid WNBA player is capped at under $250,000. This reality forces most players to forgo any “offseason” rest or recovery for playing overseas in countries such as Turkey, China, and, until recently, Russia just to make ends meet.
But now a new league has launched that hopes to both capitalize on the surge in interest in women’s basketball while also providing much-needed financial and wellness security for its players.
Dubbed “Unrivaled,” the new league was founded in 2023 by WNBA superstars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. Naturally, enticing athletes to play domestically means offering the same or better benefits than they’d get overseas, and that’s exactly what Stewie and Phee have done. Players not only receive a salary of around $222,222 (far more than most get in the W) but also equity in the league, providing a financial stake in its performance and development. In addition, they have built a bespoke 130,000-square-foot facility christened Wayfair Arena within a Miami, Florida, production studio designed not only to maximize the game experience for both players and fans but to also provide the necessary resources athletes need to thrive. This includes practice courts; a state-of-the-art fitness center that focuses as much on rehab, recovery, and wellness as it does on strength and conditioning; a day-care and nursing center for the league’s numerous parents; and deluxe hair and make-up rooms so players can look their best as they promote themselves and their own brands alongside the league (a win-win).
Added up, Unrivaled is (pun intended) purposefully rivalling its big sister in terms of what women’s sports should be and provide. It’s a gauntlet thrown down to challenge the W to do better, to recognize the value these content makers provide. While it may be argued that revenue for women’s sports fails to meet that of men’s, that seems more a matter of time than anything. If you look at where the WNBA is after 25 years versus where the NBA was at that same point, the W is leaps and bounds ahead. If growth continues apace, women’s basketball has the potential to be the next sports gold mine, and investors are already betting that Unrivaled is keenly positioned to capitalize on it. Stars such as Michael Phelps, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Coco Gauff, Alex Morgan, and Dawn Staley have all infused money into the league, far exceeding its initial goal and bringing investment up to $35 million. I mean, just think about how far things have come if a 19-year-old sophomore like Juju Watkins is making enough money because of her recognized talent and rocketing fame that she is able to put some of that back into women’s sports as an Unrivaled investor. Entrepreneurs and fans alike are seeing the writing on the wall, and if competition drives economic success, this could end up being a major boon for both leagues.
As for the game itself, Unrivaled follows a 3x3 player format. Personally, I’ve had trouble getting into this style: don’t hate it, just haven’t loved it. I’ve followed the FIBA version the past couple summer Olympics as well as Ice Cube’s BIG3 league (which I reported on previously). While FIBA feels more traditional and BIG3 a little more “street,” both suffer from the same frantic wildness that leads to less strategy, more chaos, and a flurry of bricks chucked up in seemingly nervous attempts at flash or glory. To its credit, Unrivaled seems to recognize this deficiency and adjusts to correct it.
Unlike the other types of 3x3, Unrivaled plays full court, not half, allowing more space to operate and viewers a better chance at following the action. With only an 18-second shot clock, the overall court size has been slightly reduced so players don’t wear themselves out sprinting downcourt. Energy is spent where it’s more exciting: setting up teammates, making slashing drives, or swatting shots. Having three players allows for a balance between team dynamics and creating more 1-on-1 plays. But players have to be ready, as many participants have noted that in this format “there’s nowhere to hide,” meaning forget about planting in your favorite spot or hoping someone else picks up any defensive slack. The pace is quick and lively but never frantic, making it feel like “typical” basketball just a bit sped up.
Most of the rules are tweaks on the familiar with the exception of the final quarter. The first 3 quarters are 7 minutes each, with a typical halftime. However, the fourth is untimed (other than a shot clock); instead, a team must reach a target score to win. This target is determined by adding 11 to the highest score at the end of the third quarter (so if it’s 72–68, then 11 is added to 72, meaning the target score to win is 83). I was honestly a little confused by this at first, but after seeing it in action, it made total sense and adds a little spice to the proceedings in that a team can’t just run out the clock to win—there will always be a game-winning shot!
Games are currently played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays and can be watched thanks to a lucrative multi-year deal with TNT that allows fans to tune in either on TNT, TrueTV, or Max. And I gotta say, it is sooo nice to know exactly where a game can be seen. Both NBA and WNBA jump around so much between stations and apps and streams and whatnot I need a freakin’ decoder book and $1,000 in subscriptions to watch all the games I want. An essentially one-stop-shop is a breath of fresh air!
There are 6 teams total with names wildly varying in cleverness and sense (sorry, but some are just silly): the Lunar Owls, Laces, Phantom, Mist, Vinyl, and Rose. Thirty-six players from the WNBA were invited for this inaugural season. I was asked well before the January 17 tipoff who I was rooting for, and I gotta say the embarrassment of choices made it really tough. These are the best of the best of the best, and as such it’s like having six All-Star teams—there really isn’t a bad choice. I’ve been watching these athletes long enough that there are players I love and players I honestly can’t stand, but I tend to gravitate to what I’m seeing on court: how are they gelling, working together and off one another, is the defense on par with the offense, etc. I was initially drawn to Rose (love the players, hate the name), but at the moment, I gotta say the Lunar Owls (awesome name) are making a case for top dog (as of this writing, they are currently the only remaining undefeated team).
If all that wasn’t exciting enough, Unrivaled will host a special 1-on-1 tournament this month (February 10, 11, and 14) to crown the absolute best player in the league. Fans can vote on player seeding, and a tasty share of the $350,000 prize pot is up for grabs.
It’s these sorts of innovations that set Unrivaled apart from not just the W but from other women’s sports. With impressive insight into what fans are looking for aside sharp business acumen, Collier and Stewart are redefining the sport and making major strides. If they can keep that momentum going, this league could expand to enough franchises to keep every women’s basketball player safe, home, and solvent so that these athletes can enjoy the same advantages as their male counterparts—and then some. And they are doing it not by asking for more from others but by creating something for themselves.
So if you’re a fan of basketball, I highly recommend giving this league a chance. You’ll not only enjoy the excellent, high-caliber play but feel a sense of satisfaction in supporting grassroots, player-focused sports out to shake up perceptions, institutions, and opportunities. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Derek May, of San Antonio, TX, is Editor-in-Chief and occasional writer for Flapper Press. He has written nearly 50 movie reviews for movieweb.com and completed 13 original feature film and television screenplays, many of which have been winners or finalists in such prestigious competitions as the Walt Disney and Nicholl Fellowships, the Austin Film Festival, and the Creative World Awards. He served as a judge for 10 years for the Austin Film Festival and Texas Film Institute screenplay competitions. His latest project is the highly acclaimed stop-motion animation fan series Highlander: Veritas, which released its second season in July 2022.
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