Inside The Sole Of The WNBA Signature Shoe Boom

Zendaya has fully embraced her role in bringing Tenniscore to the masses with her new campaign for On (Switzerland’s answer to Nike). Come for the photos of Zendaya and the Swiss Alps, stay for her refusal to invite Tom Holland to a dance class.

The NHL is leaning into its Gen Z stars to lead its path into the future of media. Get ready to hear some glorious Canadien accents mic’d up on the ice.

Cody Rhodes’ WWE gold sure pairs well with the sky blue of Manchester City. Now we just need to get Erling Haaland in the wrestling ring.

The trend of retired athletes getting involved in team ownership is only getting hotter. Tom Brady now has a 5% stake in the Raiders, and the trio of Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Jozy Altidore could soon follow with a minority stake in the Bills. Will they go through a table to celebrate?

There’s some love triangle drama in Formula 1. Meet Estelle Ogilvy, the influencer who is the talk of the paddock.

If there’s one thing we love to talk about at OffBall, it’s the W. One of the most exciting parts of the league’s soaring cultural and commercial clout has been its downstream effects—this rising tide is lifting all boats, baby.

Take the signature sneaker. It wasn’t long ago that fans basically rallied on social media to ensure that the best player in the league got her own shoe. Today? Shoe business is booming, with seven current WNBA athletes sporting signature shoe deals, up from just three at the start of the season.

The emerging dominance of the W shoe should come as no surprise. Through the 2023-24 season, Sabrina Ionescu’s Nike shoe became a breakout star with NBA players—Jalen Brunson wore the Sabrina 1s during a game where he recorded a career-high 50 points. It was a big hit with fans too, with sales of her sneakers growing five times over the past year, the brand recently revealed. 

@theshift_sports

Sabrina Ionescu’s Nike sneaker is making waves around the NBA this season 👀🔥 #theshiftsports #nike #sabrinaionescu

It’s not just the Nike’s of the world getting involved either: Adidas hired WNBA legend Candace Parker fresh off retirement to head up its new women’s basketball category earlier this year, Skechers joined the women’s signature shoe game with Rickea Jackson, while start-ups like Holo Footwear and Creative Control also entered the chat. 

The one to watch? Check out fast-growing Moolah Kicks, founded in 2020 by then-recent college grad Natalie White, who set out on a mission to reduce injuries for female hoopers by designing sneakers specifically for women’s feet. Those shoes are in action in the WNBA Finals right now, worn by Moolah’s signature athlete Courtney Williams of the Lynx. 

Got plans this weekend? Austin, Texas sure does. Over the next five days, the city will play host to the United States Grand Prix and the biggest college football game of the season (No. 5 Georgia at No. 1 Texas) thus far. If you haven’t locked in your hotel reservations yet, you might be SOL.

Let’s start with the racing. The USGP is always a party, with the Circuit of the Americas playing host to the longest-running F1 race in the States. Keep Austin weird? Don’t worry, the F1 guys are on it.

@f1

ok but why does austin ALWAYS provide the goods 🙌🇺🇸 #f1 #formula1 #usgp #f1memes #georgerussell #lewishamilton #charlesleclerc #landonorri... See more

This year is shaping up to be another banger. Not only is the race for the title as tight as it's been in recent memory, but teams across the paddock are already embracing the Lone Star State with new liveries. Alpine’s look celebrates Indiana Jones, while Haas is going full Texas.

And what would an F1 weekend be without some fashion? Formula 1’s never-ending runway is coming to town. What a way to follow Austin City Limits. Lewis Hamilton’s +44 is launching some Austin-specific surprises with help from local luxury boutique By George.

Off the racetrack, College Gameday (and most importantly Pat McAfee) will be at Texas, bringing the best traveling road show in sports to Austin for the first time since 2022. The Longhorns have a tough act to follow after big weeks from Cal and Oregon the past few weeks, but they’re up for the challenge.

Please drop your food recs for Austin in our inbox. Weekends like this work up quite an appetite.

Photographers like Matt Dingle have become a mainstay of the grandstands at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, with the resulting photos getting shared by the photog and the club together. The results are stellar. Sure, ground-level views are great, but some magic can only be seen from the stands.