The WNBA players union is kicking off a partnership with Pepsi to back local causes 'the players care about'
- The WNBPA launched a partnership with Pepsi Stronger Together to give back to local communities.
- The players union and Pepsi philanthropic arm will offer programming in all 12 WNBA markets.
The WNBA Players Association has partnered with Pepsi Stronger Together to give back to the communities they call home.
In conjunction with the 23rd anniversary of the WNBPA, the players union and Pepsi philanthropic arm will offer local programming in all 12 WNBA markets. The multi-year partnership will leverage Pepsi's resources and connections to address causes that "the players care about" within their teams' cities, WNBA superstar and WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike told Insider.
"Being able to find an organization that can provide the resources that can bring these conversations of players wanting to make a difference to life is huge, and being able to do it across the league is even bigger," Ogwumike said. "We want to represent all the players and all the teams. For us to align in such a way that works so wonderfully is exciting."
"And because it's a multi-year partnership, it's not just a one-off," the six-time WNBA All-Star added. "That's something that we are really trying to get a lot of people to understand as far as our mission in the WNBPA; it's not just this year, it's not just this team, because we are a union and we make a difference together."
Led by Ogwumike, WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson, and PepsiCo South Division President Derek Lewis, the players union and Pepsi Stronger Together will start their work together in the Sparks star's home market of Los Angeles. Girls on the Run LA - an organization focused on building girls' self-confidence through physical activity and team-based efforts - will use a $50,000 donation from Pepsi Stronger Together to bolster its efforts to build strong girls who grow into empowered women.
Pepsi Stronger Together will also offer hydration options and equipment for the nearly 350 girls participating in Girls on the Run LA's 5k races scheduled for this fall.
The obvious connection between the nonprofit's mission and the WNBA players' role in cultivating a progressive professional women's sports league isn't the only motivating factor behind the inaugural effort with the Girls on the Run; Ogwumike has previous ties to the organization. She told Insider she "got involved with Girls on the Run through other brands" and has "just been a regular ever since."
"It's pretty awesome," she added. "I've had so much fun doing different things, and I'm so grateful that Pepsi Stronger Together sees the connection. With the WNBPA bringing this to life, it just made sense."
Ogwumike sees a brand of Pepsi's size and stature backing the players union's initiatives as a sign of her league's growing influence and reach. With the WNBA boasting a whopping 49% increase in viewership year-over-year and its most-viewed postseason since 2014 this fall, the 2016 league MVP said she's "feeling like we're flowing in the right direction - and it feels good."
"We're continuing to amplify ourselves in culture and in society," Ogwumike said. "For an initiative like Pepsi Stronger Together to recognize that, it's setting the tone. It's really setting the tone. It's leading by example."
"To be in this space and watch it change, it feels big," she added. "I'm excited to be a part of it."