Coinbase sponsors the WNBA Cup, a women’s sports bar that caters to fans.
Women's sports halls across America were packed with cheering fans as the Minnesota Lynx defeated the New York Independence on June 25 in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Commissioner's Cup Championship. And the fun comes courtesy of Coinbase, who sponsored the game.
Coinbase takes a new spin on sponsorships
The 56-person Sports Bra Bar in Portland, Oregon, was filled to capacity, offering bar food and a free glass of beer or wine — no free cocktails, even for Cointelegraph — and responding to invitations from the WNBA or Coinbase after receiving a free T-shirt. Similar scenes occurred in bars in New York City, St. Paul, and Seattle.
Coinbase has sponsored the NBA and WNBA for the past three years as part of a multi-year deal. It was a good time. “Progress in the league [WNBA] It has become big. Selling out stadiums — that's the first time that's happened in the last two years,” Sports Bra operations manager Katie Liddy told Cointelegraph.
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Coinbase reached out to Jenny Nguyen, owner of Sport Bra, to suggest the watch party, Liddy said, and the bar's management coordinated the event directly with the crypto exchange. Coinbase Chief Marketing Officer Kate Ruch told Cointelegraph.
“Empowering women to participate in an improved, more empowering financial system is one of the reasons we chose to partner with the WNBA. […] We're proud to support female athletes, support women-owned small businesses, and be in person with WNBA fans.
A growing market
In the year Sports Bra, which opened in February 2022 and claims to be the world's first women-only sports bar, is expanding with women's sports. Nguyen reportedly earned $1 million in the first eight months after backing his invention with a Kickstarter campaign.
Barr plans to expand nationwide through franchising with an investment from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian's 776 Foundation.
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