Austin Karp here, filling for Terry Lefton, who is likely scouring the shores of Nantucket in search of lobster and jersey patch deals.
At our 4se event in Manhattan last year, I was impressed listening to Natalie White, the founder of Moolah Kicks. Her startup touts itself at the first footwear brand focused exclusively on women's basketball. White spoke about how her brand is simply filling a void in the market. Dick's Sporting Goods clearly agreed, as the retailer made an investment in the shoe brand and has given it prominent space within its stores.
My colleague Na'Andre Emerson caught up with White for tonight's newsletter, as she talks about the latest efforts to push the brand's visibility.
Moolah Kicks using WNBA endorsers, Dick's Sporting Goods tie-up to drive brand recognition
Moolah Kicks is deepening its investment in the women’s basketball community with the introduction of a new summer collection and the addition of another brand ambassador from the WNBA, reports SBJ's Na'Andre Emerson.
Moolah Kicks, first launched in 2020, focuses solely on women’s basketball products, offering players shoes that are biomechanically fit for the female foot to enhance their on-court performance. Since its inception, Moolah has become available in over 570 stores nationwide thanks to its partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods. The brand also has signed over 70 athletes to NIL deals, with more expected this fall.
Founder and CEO Natalie White tells SBJ that Moolah's success is due to the women's basketball community, which “has really had our back, and our partners also have had our back and chipped in so many ways to bring us to where we are today.”
This summer, the brand launched its Y2K Pack that is inspired by the early 2000s, with a new collection featuring vibrant colorways of the brand's Triple Double, Neovolt Pro and Press Break models. White says for the summer collection, the brand polled hundreds of their athletes to come up with their three favorite colorways and then had a smaller focus group vote on the name.
Moolah recently signed WNBA Phoenix Mercury G Sug Sutton to the brand’s ambassador team, which already includes Minnesota Lynx G Courtney Williams and UConn G Caroline Ducharme. Sutton will rep Moolah through appearances and fan engagement (as well as on the court for the rest of the 2024 season). White says the addition of Sutton will be big for the brand amid the rising popularity women’s basketball has garnered. “We've been super excited to be involved in the W,” says White.
Though the brand has seen increased interest from people in different countries, White notes Moolah is still only shipping in the U.S. and will only venture to international shipping when it makes sense financially. “You kind of have to read the market and see when the time is right," she said. "It's impossible to say.”
White noted Moolah's deal with Dick's Sporting Goods has seen a lot of success. "The experience of feeling seen and celebrated in a store where you can touch and feel the product with your hands is something that has seen a lot of success," said White. "We have a physical space that is carved out just for us.”
California Closets to sponsor Predators' new lounge
The Predators have reached a multiyear deal with the Nashville-area franchise of a closet manufacturer that is making its first foray into sports sponsorship. California Closets of Nashville will entitle a new premium space at Bridgestone Arena that features high-end finishes and furnishings from the company. Financial terms of the agreement, which California Closets of Nashville negotiated directly with the Predators, were not disclosed.
The 85-person, 4,000-square-foot California Closets Studio will be an ultra-exclusive lounge-style club space. Memberships start at $50,000 a year and include access to all Predators games, as well as non-hockey events at Bridgestone Arena. Select plans will include NCAA and SEC Tournament access.
Studio members will have the largest seats in the building and all-inclusive access to high-end food and beverage, including a lobster roll station, hand-carved tomahawk steak and exclusive cocktails such as a raspberry smoked Old Fashioned. The Predators removed four lower-level suites and 189 lower bowl seats to build out the Studio. The project cost more than $2M to complete.
Speed reads
- The USOPC has had 10 sponsors and licensees activating at Team USA House in Paris (open to the public for the first time), from Xfinity’s second-floor content capture space to Ralph Lauren’s first-floor coffee shop, reports SBJ's Rachel Axon. Oakley and Google have spaces outside the building, while Nike, New Era and others are in the Team USA shop. Those activations give domestic sponsors a place to reach fans in market and help defray the cost.
- PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is standing behind the value of title sponsorships on tour -- even with dizzying prices as high as $25 million per year -- as evidenced by a new deal for Truist to take over sponsorship of the tour’s Signature event in Charlotte, notes SBJ's Josh Carpenter.
- There are now 23 MLB teams with jersey patch deals after the Cubs (Motorola) and Phillies (Independence Blue Cross) recently jumped on the bandwagon.
- National Debt Relief, a company that gives advice to people about how to get out of debt, is expanding its relationship with NASCAR to get category rights for debt relief, the first time the racing property has sold that sector, notes SBJ's Adam Stern.
- As they approach their final season at Miami, the Cavinder sisters remain at the forefront of NIL and are making financial moves designed to last a lifetime, writes SBJ's Xavier Hunter.
- The USTA is reuniting with Moët & Chandon, a U.S. Open sponsor from 2011-14, with a multiyear agreement that makes it the event’s exclusive champagne provider, reports SBJ's Rob Schaefer. The U.S. Open did not have a champagne category sponsor from 2015-2023.