59 JUNE 2022the Sky and her sixth in the WNBA; it seemed
obvious to him that some gear should be avail-
able with her name on it. Yet as the playoffs got
underway, there were no Copper jerseys for sale
through the Sky, the WNBA or official league
merchandise partner Dick’s Sporting Goods. And
not just in Palmer’s size—none, period. Adults
and children, all sizes and all colors.
“I kind of just naturally assumed I would be
able to find that,” Palmer says. “At least, watch-
ing a lot of men’s sports, if you want the jersey
of a player—it exists.”
And it wasn’t just Copper. If a Sky fan watching
the playoff run wanted to rep hometown leg-
end Candace Parker? Too bad. Her jersey hadn’t
been restocked in months, either. It highlighted
an issue the WNBA had been struggling with
for years. Merchandise can be a crucial
part of telling the story of a league—not
just as a revenue stream but as a marketing
strategy, too, allowing people to broadcast
their fandom to everyone they see. It builds
a sense of community and boosts visibility.
There have been a few notable success
stories here for the WNBA. (Hello, orange
logo hoodies.) But there have been far more
fans left frustrated, in search of supply to
meet their demand. A snapshot of the W’s
official online store in mid-April showed
38 “ready to ship” jerseys available; the
same section on the NBA’s site offered 1,290
different options. Copper’s jersey was the
ultimate example. Even when the 2021
Finals MVP signed a multiyear extension
with the Sky, there were no jerseys available.
“It was a small thing, but it was just frus-
trating,” Palmer says. “I was like, I want to give you my money; I will
pay whatever markup there is. But it just didn’t exist.”
The last two years have yielded some particular supply-chain issues,
and the WNBA is still expanding its partnership with Dick’s. But the
league acknowledges that there is room for it to improve here.
“We have to do better at letting our fans know when they can get
it, where they can get it,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said
about merch at a news conference in February. “We look forward to
seeing a difference on that in the next year or two.”
A few days after Engelbert’s press conference, Kahleah Copper
jerseys were finally, finally back in stock on the league’s website. “It
felt like a long journey,” says Palmer with a laugh, describing what
it was like to fork over his money at last. When the jersey eventually
showed up at his door, he shared it on Twitter, collaging a picture of
him smiling with the new gear alongside his frustrated pleas for it
from the last few months. Copper herself saw the post and weighed in:
“The wait is ovaaaaaaa! Finally!” —Emma BaccellieriMERCHANDISE IS
CRUCIAL TO BUILDING
COMMUNITY AND
VISIBILITY FOR A
LEAGUE, BUT MANY
FANS ARE FRUSTRATED
BY THE LACK
OF WOMEN’S
SPORTS OPTIONS.5
TI 0TL
E^