Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Hundreds of actors have signed a letter condemning racist hate against actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, teachers push for paid family leave, and the WNBA adds a buzzy new brand to its partnership roster. Have a thoughtful Thursday.
– Game-changer. Record viewership numbers for women’s sports are still in the process of translating to more dollars for leagues, teams, and players; take last weekend’s NCAA basketball finals in which the women brought in 4.1 million more viewers but were valued $866 million lower than the men in TV rights. But while media rights deals are renegotiated and investors steadily pour resources into new and existing teams alike, the WNBA has executed a partnership strategy that capitalizes on the league’s growing popularity.
The 28-year-old women’s basketball league has teamed up with buzzy brands that drive cultural conversations, much like its own players do. Haircare brand Mielle Organics was named the league’s “official textured hair care partner” last July. Glossier became the league’s official beauty partner in mid-2023. Kim Kardashian’s Skims became the official underwear partner for both the WNBA and the NBA later that year.
The latest brand to join the mix is Opill, the new over-the-counter birth control pill produced by pharmaceutical company Perrigo. It’s an interesting partnership for the WNBA, whose players have openly discussed the difficulties of managing childcare and pregnancy alongside careers as professional athletes. And it’s a compelling platform for Opill, which is trying to build brand awareness as it introduces itself to customers who are used to accessing oral contraceptives only through medical providers.
The two parties announced their “game-changing” partnership, which is Opill’s first major campaign, at an event in New York this week. “We’re looking for partners whose core values align with ours that also help amplify the work we’re doing at the league,” WNBA chief growth officer Colie Edison told me.
Opill and the league plan to make a splash at the WNBA draft on April 15. As this year’s best-known college players like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark start their professional careers, Opill is looking to reach college students, a major market for over-the-counter contraceptives.
Since Opill started shipping a month ago, the product has been sent to 50 retailers, Perrigo women’s health lead Leila Bahbah told me.
When Perrigo acquired the rights to Opill (first approved on a prescription basis in 1973) from Pfizer and started the process of seeking over-the-counter approval a decade ago, the WNBA likely wouldn’t have been the company’s first choice for exposure. But women’s basketball has grown so much in recent years that a partnership with the league is now a way to put a stake in the ground as a socially-conscious, culturally-relevant brand. “When you partner with the WNBA, it needs to be an authentic integration into who we are,” Edison says.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
The Broadsheet is Fortune’s newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Today’s edition was curated by Joseph Abrams. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Supporting actress. Nearly 900 actors have signed an open letter condemning racist and prejudiced attacks against Romeo & Juliet actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers. She has been the victim of a wave of online racial abuse after the Jamie Lloyd theater company announced she would play Juliet alongside Tom Holland's Romeo in a new West End production. Guardian
- Age of waiting. New data from the CDC shows that the average U.S. woman in 2022 had her first child at age 27, the oldest on record. The birth rate for women over 30 was also higher in 2022 than it was for those in their late 20s. Time
- Laboring without leave. California is trying to pass a law that would require 14 weeks of paid maternity leave for female teachers at a time when only 18% of the country’s largest school districts offer any form of parental leave. States like Tennessee and South Carolina have done the same in recent years, and supporters say the policy prevents female teachers from having to use sick days to stay home after giving birth. Wall Street Journal
- Fertility founder. Noor Siddiqui is the 29-year-old founder and CEO of fertility startup Orchid that screens embryos for their likelihood of developing 1,200 different diseases and conditions. Siddiqui defends the controversial technology—she’s used it on herself—and calls comparisons to Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos misogynistic. Wired
- Inside the store. In a new HBO documentary, young women who worked at Brandy Melville say they experienced sexual assault, discrimination, and generally creepy behavior at the popular fashion chain. Former employees describe taking daily photographs of their outfits that were sent to secretive CEO Stephan Marsan, discrimination by Marsan against Black employees and those he believed were overweight, and the alleged sexual assault of a young girl at a company-owned apartment. Representatives for Marsan and Brandy Melville have yet to comment on the claims. Guardian
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Former Spotify exec Dawn Ostroff and former Sony president Nicole Seligman will reportedly step down from the board of Paramount as the entertainment company pursues a sale. Marketing agency Agital named Jamie Farrell SVP of marketing.
ON MY RADAR
She was a Black entrepreneur. Then she decided to help other Black entrepreneurs Wall Street Journal
What happened to the wrap dress? New York Times
Sorry, Wall Street: Fangirls run the economy Bustle
PARTING WORDS
“You have to think 10 steps ahead but also be in the present moment.”
— Actor and first-time director Julia Stiles on how being a mom prepares you to be a director
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