Storm's Bird leads market-savvy new guard

WNBA coaches coveted Sue Bird, Tamika Williams, Asjha Jones and Swin Cash for their skills on the basketball court.

But when the former UConn players were drafted, each of their teams got a bonus — a marketable commodity. The UConn players were fresh off a 39-0 national-championship season that had captured the casual sports fan's interest. Even people who weren't women's basketball fans knew who Sue Bird was.

And the players already know the drill. The media interest, the appearances, the photo shoots — they have dealt with it all before.

Some of the original WNBA stars — Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie — are still around. But the league needs new blood, and UConn helped provide it.

"The best thing for us is that college is already creating ready-made stars for us — with UConn at the forefront," said Traci Cook, the senior director of WNBA corporate communications. "(Sue) already has a base on which we can build."

At the moment, Bird is the most marketable of the four rookies from UConn. She is the most recognizable. She was the point guard on the top college team in the country. She won every college award. She was the WNBA's No. 1 draft pick. She is articulate with fresh-faced, girl-next-door appeal. She came to Seattle and immediately took over as the Storm's starting point guard.

She has not one, but two agents — The Firm in Los Angeles and Management One in Cincinnati.

"Her marketability blew us all away," said Constance Schwartz, the vice president of strategic marketing with The Firm. "She's like the anti-Britney (Spears). She's cool but credible. She goes out and plays her hardest, but she's a team player and that comes off in every interview. She's a beautiful person, and that definitely helps."

Her agents say there may be a market for Bird outside of basketball. They have secured her a multiyear deal with Nike, not just selling shoes or basketball clothing, but what Schwartz called "lifestyle clothing."

"Lifestyle marketing — that's where she sets herself apart from other athletes," Schwartz said. "We want them to help build Sue Bird as a brand with shoes and apparel."

Schwartz said the specifics of the deal are still in the works, as are other potential deals involving cosmetics, cars, sports drinks and alcoholic beverages.

The agents are walking a fine line. They want to capitalize on UConn's 39-0 season and the ensuing hoopla while people still remember it, but they don't want to overwhelm Bird.

"That's why you don't see us out there doing 8,000 things right now," Schwartz said. "Look at what just happened. They won the Final Four. They went 39-0. They were visiting the White House. Let her play. Let her enjoy her rookie year."

The WNBA and the Storm are doing what they can in a short time; nobody was even sure if Coach Lin Dunn was going to pick Bird, and not trade her, until the week of the draft. The WNBA has had her prominently featured on its Web site. A Sue Bird Bobblehead Night at KeyArena already had been planned before the season began.

The Storm, like the WNBA, targets the majority of its marketing toward women and families, but has decided to use a different approach with Bird.

"An audience we have not spent a lot of resources on is men," said Karen Bryant, vice president of Storm operations. "Sue Bird, with her success and recognition, she's captured the attention of the male sports fan in a way we haven't seen before, and we'd be remiss if we didn't capitalize on that."

To that end, the WNBA also has tried to appeal to a broader audience, helping book Bird on the "Best Damn Sports Show, Period," last month. The hosts gushed about how beautiful she was as Bird appeared uncomfortable. This, of course, is all part of her appeal.

Bird also has been featured in a league promo called "This Is Who I Am." In a picture from one of the ads, Comets forward Swoopes appears on the league Web site wearing an oversized cowboy hat and a plaid sports bra. The TV ads feature players dressed casually (in sports bras, midriff-bearing tops), talking about their off-court interests. The short takes are interspersed with game footage.

Cook said they are intended for the fans to get to know the players as people, rather than simply basketball players.

"Our fans want to connect with our players on every level," Cook said. "What they look like off-court, their hobbies, their interests. Women's fans want to feel closer. They want to see their style off-court."

The way the players are dressed makes it appear the WNBA was borrowing a little marketing strategy from the Women's Tennis Association, but any sexual overtones were unintended, Cook said.

"It wasn't the intent," Cook said. "This is how they dress. And Sheryl has her own style."

Both the league and the Storm realize they can run as many promotions as they like, but it's up to Bird and the others to perform on the court. A few years ago, former Tennessee star Chamique Holdsclaw came into the league with similar hype (the female Jordan who would save the league), but her team, the Mystics, did poorly, she arrived in training camp out of shape the following year, and her star subsequently faded.

"All the stuff off the court is icing on the cake," Bryant said. "Nothing will speak more loudly than what (Bird) does as a member of the team on the court. And obviously, expectations are high."