Progressive secures dual jersey sponsorship for 2028 Cleveland WNBA team
Progressive Insurance has secured the first dual-jersey sponsorship in WNBA history for Cleveland’s 2028 expansion team, signaling deepening corporate investment in women's sports.
Cleveland’s yet-to-be-named WNBA franchise has signed Progressive Insurance as its jersey patch sponsor, securing a deal nearly three years before its scheduled May 2028 debut. The agreement marks the first time a sponsor has purchased both available advertising spaces on a WNBA uniform.
Under the deal, Progressive will place its branding on the upper left corner and the larger front area beneath the jersey numbers. Securing both slots establishes a new pricing model for the league, maximizing the per-team revenue generated from primary uniform inventory.
The sponsorship aligns with Progressive’s established local sports marketing strategy. The insurer, headquartered in suburban Mayfield Heights, has held naming rights to Cleveland’s baseball stadium since 2008. Chief Marketing Officer Mari Pumarejo noted that the opportunity to back a Cleveland franchise was a primary driver, stating: "Once we heard that the WNBA was going to bring a team to Cleveland, it was a good fit for us."
Progressive’s financial commitment to women’s sports extends beyond corporate advertising. Chief Executive Tricia Griffith is an investor in the Cleveland Astra, a women’s soccer team also slated to begin play in 2028. This dual corporate and personal capital deployment highlights a strategic pivot among major insurers toward alternative sports assets.
The WNBA’s sponsorship landscape has shifted significantly since the Phoenix Mercury became the league’s first team to sell a jersey patch in 2009. Cleveland’s previous WNBA franchise, the Rockers, folded in 2003, but the current market environment features substantially higher corporate valuations for women's sports properties.
The early sponsorship is backed by tangible consumer demand for the expansion franchise. Allison Howard, the team's president of business operations, reported 9,000 season ticket deposits over the past year. This demand has accelerated the franchise's commercial timeline, forcing the organization to engage the market earlier than the typical two-year runway for a new team.
Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group, which owns the franchise, is expected to announce the team's name in the coming months. A major marketing event is scheduled for August 4 at Rocket Arena as the ownership group converts early local enthusiasm into long-term commercial partnerships.
